Why do giraffes kick their babies after birth?
As the baby lies curled up, the mother kicks the baby again. And again. Until the baby giraffe, still trembling and tired, pushes its limbs and for the first time learns to stand on its feet. Happy to see the baby standing on its own feet, the mother giraffe comes over and gives it yet another kick.
What does a mother giraffe do to her baby?
The mother giraffe lovingly lowers her neck to smooch the baby giraffe. And then something incredible happens. She lifts her long leg and kicks the baby giraffe, sending it flying up in the air and tumbling down on the ground. As the baby lies curled up, the mother kicks the baby again.
How long does it take for a baby giraffe to walk?
Unharmed by the fall, the infant will take up to an hour to rest where it landed, as the mother licks the infant to stimulate circulation and dry the skin, but Africa’s infants must be ready to run with the herd, and remarkably, the newborn giraffe is standing, walking and even running, within about an hour of being born.
What to expect when you’re expecting a giraffe?
There is a lot of excitement around a giraffe pregnancy, and a lot of hard work that goes into preparing and planning for a birth and a baby giraffe. We chatted with animal keeper (and giraffe doula) Katie Ahl to find out what to expect when you’re expecting a baby giraffe.
When does a baby giraffe start to eat milk?
baby giraffe close-up. The baby also has a shorter neck, percentage wise than an adult, no doubt to fit more neatly in the womb. The baby giraffe eats only mothers milk for the first four to six months of life, and then begins to sample low growing young shoots and leaves.
The mother giraffe lovingly lowers her neck to smooch the baby giraffe. And then something incredible happens. She lifts her long leg and kicks the baby giraffe, sending it flying up in the air and tumbling down on the ground. As the baby lies curled up, the mother kicks the baby again.
Unharmed by the fall, the infant will take up to an hour to rest where it landed, as the mother licks the infant to stimulate circulation and dry the skin, but Africa’s infants must be ready to run with the herd, and remarkably, the newborn giraffe is standing, walking and even running, within about an hour of being born.
There is a lot of excitement around a giraffe pregnancy, and a lot of hard work that goes into preparing and planning for a birth and a baby giraffe. We chatted with animal keeper (and giraffe doula) Katie Ahl to find out what to expect when you’re expecting a baby giraffe.
baby giraffe close-up. The baby also has a shorter neck, percentage wise than an adult, no doubt to fit more neatly in the womb. The baby giraffe eats only mothers milk for the first four to six months of life, and then begins to sample low growing young shoots and leaves.