Giraffe Cow-Calf Relationships and Social Development of the Calf in the Serengeti

Activity patterns of giraffe calves and calf-mother distances have been studied as functions of age and sex of the calf in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Particular attention was paid to the nature of the cow calf bond, suckling behavior, the social development of the calf, relationships between calves and between mother-calf pairs in calf groups, and the anti-predator behavior of mother and calf.