
06/24/21
If there is one thing that the Internet loves more than anything, it is baby animals. There are countless online searches for videos of cute baby animals done daily. People love to see videos of a cute puppy, kitten or baby elephant.
These adorable baby animals come in all shapes and sizes. To widen your horizon for baby animal videos, our African elephant research team has created this list of the world’s biggest baby animals.
Baby giraffe
Giraffes are the world’s tallest animals. Even from the moment giraffes are born, they are tall. A baby giraffe is referred to as a calf. The average height of a giraffe calf is around six feet tall and weighs on average 100 to 150 pounds.
To put this into perspective, giraffe calves are as tall as a Christmas tree and weigh as much as a small sofa. Their size is not only surprising, so is their birth. A giraffe calf is dropped during birth. This helps break the umbilical cord and amniotic sack.
Baby hippopotamus
If you have ever seen an adult hippo at a zoo, you know just how large these animals can get. Their babies are no different. Baby hippos are called calves. A hippo calf can weigh as much as 60 to 110 pounds.
Hippos are pregnant almost as long as humans are. These animals have a gestation period of eight months. When it comes to giving birth, most hippos actually give birth in the water and then guide their newborns to the surface to breathe.
Baby white rhino
There are five species of rhinos, and the white rhino is the largest. When a white rhino is born, it weighs on average 88 to 143 pounds. That is around the size of an adult Saint Bernard dog. A baby white rhino is also known as a calf.
The gestation period of a white rhino is 16 to 18 months. These animals have babies about every two and a half to five years. They usually have one baby at a time but can also have twins.
Baby elephant
It is no surprise that the world's largest land mammal has the world’s largest land baby. A baby elephant is known as a calf. When an elephant calf is born, it is about three feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds. The Asian elephant is slightly smaller at birth and weighs around 91 pounds.
To get an idea of how much an elephant calf weighs, it is around the same weight as a refrigerator or spinet piano. Elephants are born so big because of their nature and how long they spend in their mother’s womb. Elephants have a gestation period of 22 months.
Baby blue whale
The world’s largest animal is not on land but in the ocean. The blue whale is the largest animal in the world and also has the largest baby. A blue whale baby is also known as a calf. The average weight of a blue whale calf is about three tons and as long as 25 feet.
Blue whale calves weigh around the same as a Ford F-250 and are as long as a mid-size school bus. These animals spend about one year in their mother’s womb and are typically born in December to February in low latitudes.
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