How long is the longest pregnancy in animals
The natural world is full of mysteries and amazing phenomena. One of the most mysterious and exciting processes that can be observed in the animal kingdom can be considered pregnancy. It can vary in duration quite incredibly - from a few days to, believe it or not, several years. In this article, we will look at the longest pregnancies in the animal world, which will amaze you with their duration and show how diverse this process can be in nature.
The duration of pregnancy directly depends on the size of the animal itself and the environmental conditions in which it develops after its birth. The larger the living being and the more developed it is, the longer its pregnancy and vice versa, but there are exceptions, which we will talk about later.
The most developed creature on Earth is man. A human child is born after 9 months of pregnancy, in other words, after 275 days spent in the womb. Around this period, women give birth. The child is born already almost fully formed, in contrast to, for example, kangaroos. An example with a person is given specifically for ease of comparison.
The female cow bears her cub longer than a man - 285 days - this is the average.
The gestation period, called in cows (lat. Bos taurus taurus) pregnancy, can last from 240 to 311 days, so it is almost impossible to establish the exact date of birth (calving). 7.5 months after insemination, it is recommended to stop milking the cow, i.e. transfer it to dry land. This is due to the fact that in the last 3 months of pregnancy, the most active development of the fetus occurs. A baby cow is a calf.
And here is the first exception to the rule - the alpine or black salamander (lat. Salamandra atra), which lives in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula and in the Alps.
Her body length is 9-16 cm, and the pregnancy lasts about 10 months (306 days). This is a viviparous animal. There are 30 eggs in the oviduct of the salamander, but it develops from only 2 larvae, while the rest of the eggs turn into a yolk mass, which these larvae feed on. After all the transformations that will take place in the body of the salamander mother, two fully formed and adult individuals will be born. Alpine salamanders live for about 10 years.
In roe deer (lat. Capreolus), pregnancy ranges from 264 to 318 days, which is a little more than 10 months.
Offspring are born in April-June. Before the start of childbirth (calving), the female goes to her birth area, where she masters it and drives away other roe deer. Scientists have found that most of the cubs are born in the daytime in the meadows - approximately 74%, in the forest - 23% and in the fields - 3%. A baby roe deer is a roe deer.
In Asian (lat. Bubalus bubalis) and African buffaloes (lat. Syncerus caffer), pregnancy lasts about 300-345 days (10-11 months), after which one cub is born (twins are rare).
It should be noted that only 20% of born calves survive to adulthood (they die from various diseases, heat and from predators). A buffalo cub is a buffalo (the common name for cattle is a calf).
Pregnancy in a horse (lat. Equus) is quite long - from 335 to 340 days (sometimes longer than 11 months).
As a rule, one cub is born. If a male (stallion) is to be born, then the pregnancy lasts 2-7 days longer. A baby horse is a foal.
Domestic donkeys (lat. Equus asinus) are smaller than horses, however, their pregnancy lasts longer - on average from 360 to 390 days (more than a year).
The cub feeds on mother's milk up to 6-9 months, it starts eating grass (little by little) 2 weeks after birth. Fully grown by two years. A baby donkey is a colt. The diminutive name for a donkey (regardless of age) is a donkey.
Due to the long pregnancy, which lasts 360-440 days (13 months), female Bactrian camels (lat. Camelus bactrianus) bring offspring only once every two years.
According to some reports, pregnancy can last up to 411 days. The female gives birth while standing, and the newborn cub can follow her already 2 hours after birth. A baby camel is a baby camel.
The second exception is the badger (lat. Meles meles).
Although it is small (50-90 cm in length), the pregnancy of a female badger can last quite a long time. If mating took place in the summer, then the offspring will appear in 271-300 days, but if the mating period fell on the winter, then the cubs will be born only after 400-450 days. A baby badger is a badger.
Giraffe (lat. Giraffa camelopardalis) is one of the largest land representatives of the animal world. Pregnancy in females lasts 14 to 15 months (428 to 459 days).
The female gives birth while standing and the cub has to fall to the ground from almost 2 meters high, therefore, during childbirth, the cub “comes out” with its feet forward, in addition, the height of the newborn itself is about 2 meters. A baby giraffe is a giraffe.
It is quite natural that elephants (lat. Elephantidae) have become the head of this rating.
Both Asian and African elephants have gestation periods of 20 to 22 months (nearly 2 years), so female elephants can only give birth once every 4-5 years. Usually one cub is born (very rarely - twins). The fetus is fully developed by 581 days (19 months), so the rest of the time it only increases in size. An elephant cub is a baby elephant.
We once again made sure that the gestational age depends on the size and level of development of the animal. But as you can see, there are exceptions.