A note on foetal growth and development of the giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa |
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| Authors: | J. D. Skinner A. J. Hall-Martin |
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| Affiliation: | Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | The growth of the foetus of the southern giraffe is discussed. Gestation period is calculated as 457 days being the mean of 48 observations of other workers. Birthmass is taken as 102 kg from measurements on wild giraffe. This is almost twice as great as some published figures for captive giraffe. However, subspecies also differ. Foetal growth followed a typical J shaped curve when plotted from the mass of 24 foetuses. The increase in vertebral column length followed a straight line. Crown/rump measurements could not always be accurately taken. |
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