About how long is an African giraffe’s pregnancy?

An African giraffe’s pregnancy lasts about 15 months.

Giraffe pregnancies generally last roughly 400 to 460 days, placing them among the longer gestations of African land mammals. The extended development period helps produce a large, well-developed calf ready to stand and walk shortly after birth.

Most giraffes give birth to a single calf. Twins are unusual, and births normally occur with the mother standing, so the newborn falls a short distance to the ground. A calf can stand within about an hour and usually begins walking soon afterward, an important adaptation for surviving among predators.

The phrase “15 months” is a rounded average rather than an exact duration for every pregnancy. Age, health, subspecies, and individual variation can affect the total length. Giraffes are sometimes confused with elephants in gestation comparisons: elephants carry their young for roughly 22 months, considerably longer than giraffes.