DOHA: A reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) at the Doha Zoo has given birth to a baby, the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has said.
The ministry has posted a picture of the mother and the calf on its website along with news about the birth.
The reticulated giraffe is a subspecies most commonly seen in zoos. Its coat consists of large, polygonal, liver-coloured spots outlined by a network of bright-white lines. Once pregnant, a female giraffe has a gestation period of about 15 months and usually has one baby at a time, but can have up to eight in her lifetime.
When born, baby giraffes fall seven feet to the ground, since mother giraffes give birth standing up.
Giraffe calves can weigh up to 200 pounds when they are born, and stand as tall as six feet. Baby giraffes can stand up less than half an hour after being born, and are able to feed from mother’s milk.
THE PENINSULA
