Human mothers have 9 months to carry the baby inside the womb. It is considered as a relatively long pregnancy period compared to the rest of the animal kingdom. However, without knowing much, there are some other animals which even have longer pregnancy period than humans.
The common factor affecting the pregnancy period is the size of the offspring. However, not all animals which have long pregnancy period end up with a big baby. Aren’t you curious of the incredible mother animals which have the longest pregnancy period? Let’s get to know these 8 incredible mother animals!
- Elephants
The first thing coming to your mind must be: elephants have the longest pregnancy period due to the size of the baby. It might be one of the reasons. Elephants have the longest pregnancy period among all other mammals, which is around 18 to 22 months before giving birth.
It is due to the long developmental period. Elephants are the largest and biggest-brained land animals in the world, thus, they need longer period for the babies to develop inside the womb.
If you’re interested with elephants, you can read differences between African elephant and Asian elephant.
- Camel
Camel is one of the specific kind of desert animal you must know. This animal also has the longest pregnancy period, which is around 13 to 15 months. The month in which conception occurred can shift the birthdate, with November conceptions pushing the birth 18 days longer than a May conception.
Similar to camels, other camelids, such as llamas, also have a long pregnancy period, which is around 11 months or 330 days.
- Giraffe
The next amazing mother animal with long pregnancy period is giraffe. It takes around 13 to 15 months for giraffes to be pregnant. Known as the tallest land animal in the world, giraffe gives birth standing up so that the baby needs to be big enough to brace for a long fall.
It is dangerous for a baby giraffe when it first comes into the world as predators, such as lions and tigers are everywhere. That’s the reason why baby giraffes need a long time to develop inside their mother’s tummy.
- Velvet Worm
We might have never guessed that a small animal takes a long pregnancy period. As being told before, it’s not only mammals with large babies which have long pregnancy period. Surprisingly, a velvet worm carries its young for as long as 15 months.
Despite the name, a velvet worm is not true worm and it is not made of velvet. Its bodies are covered with sensory hairs – which gives it a velvety appearance. A velvet worm is a truly close relative of both arthropods and true worms. No wonder, paleontologists are interested to this creature.
- Manatees
Back to the large-sized animals, manatees also have long pregnancy period. They carry their young for nearly 13 months. They lounge around in the water all day so that they can relieve some of the extra weight. They are truly amazing mothers and they own plenty of respect due to their patience.
Manatees are listed as one of the greatest animals of the Great Barrier Reef which sadly are also endangered in North America.
- Rhinoceros
Rhinos, due to their size, are also listed as one of the animals which have the long pregnancy period. Their pregnancy period is around 15 to 18 months, depending on their species.
Sadly saying, the long pregnancy period is an obstacle to replenishing the population. As we know in some areas, rhinoceros is listed as one of the vulnerable animals in the world we all need to protect.
- Walrus
Among the marine animals, walrus has the longest pregnancy period. Its pregnancy period is around 15 to 16 months. Compared to sea lions and seal, walruses have the lowest reproductive rate of any pinniped. It’s not easy to carry its young for around 330 and 350 days for them.
- Black Alpine Salamander
Black alpine salamanders are amphibians which live in the Central and Eastern Alps. They give birth to their young and carry them before for around 2 to 3 years. What a long pregnancy period!
Black alpine salamanders bear to fully developed young. Surprisingly, a salamander’s life expectancy can reach up to 10 to 20 years.
These mother animals are amazing. Despite their long pregnancy period, we still need to keep their population exist. If you wish to know other animals we need to protect, you can spend time reading some of the examples of endangered animals of the Southeast Asia along with the reasons why species are endangered. Take action starting from now on!