Moms of All Species

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought it'd be fun to share with you how long some of the moms in the animal kingdom carry their young until they give birth (the gestation period).


Let's start with our household pets:
Cats :   58-65 days
Dogs: 62-64 days

So for them, we generally just say 2 months.


Horses range from 330-342 days (nearly 1 year!). The range is due to the difference between  heavy and light breeds with the heavy ones carrying shorter times.  Llamas are also pregnant this long - 330 days. 


Pigs: 112-115 days (approx 4 mos).
Sheep: 144-151 (this is breed dependent) - meat breeds have a slightly shorter time than wool breeds.

Rabbits (those little reproductive machines!) : 30-35 days.


Here are some figures for wildlife:


Camels: 419 days (over 1 year wow!!)
Deer: 197-220  (6-7 months)
Giraffe: 420-450 days 

African Rhinoceros: 530-550 days (ouch! no wonder they are grouchy?)
Panthers: 90-93 days (so just one month longer than a domestic kitty!)

Kangaroo: 38 days (but remember the joeys spend a lot of time after in the pouch as they grow!)
Reindeer: 210-240 days
Porcupine: 112 days
Hippos: 225-250

Happy Mother's Day!!