It's great to read an amazing article like this. Keep reading to know about amazing animal facts Giraffe breeding and reproduction

Male giraffes are typically ready to mate when they are 6 years old, although more mature bulls often mate first before the younger ones. Female giraffes are ready to mate when they are around 4 years old

BioExpedition mentions that male giraffes taste the urine of the females to find out which giraffes are ready to mate. They search for urine with high estrus content, which is a type of hormone. The San Diego Zoo details that dominant male typically guards the estrus female from other males, and he is usually the only male in a specific area that gets to mate. The courting ritual of giraffes involves gently rubbing their necks against each other. A male giraffe taps on the female’s hind leg with his foreleg to signal his readiness to mate. There are no long-term bonds between giraffes, the San Diego Zoo notes.

While giraffes have no set mating season it will usually take place during the rainy season. This is because they are less stressed out and because they have plenty of food to consume. When food supplies are very low then they have to kick into survival mode and they are less likely to take part in reproduction.

In captivity though they are more likely to reproduce all throughout the year. This is due to the fact that they always have plenty of food and water available to them. This is one way to try to increase the number of giraffes out there but generally they aren’t in captivity for that purpose.

According to the Animal Learning Zone, giraffes breed all year long, and their gestation lasts between 14 and 15 months. After this period, a female giraffe gives birth to a single giraffe baby. Newborn giraffe calves are generally 2 meters tall at birth, and they weight 50 to 55 kilograms.

It takes approximately 15 months after conception for a giraffe calf to be born. Most of the time there is only one at a time but some reports of twins have been noted. The mother remains standing up when the baby drops from her body to the ground which is some feet below. The thick sac protecting the calf prevents it from being harmed during the birthing process.

These aren’t small offspring by any means though as they are about 6 feet tall when they are born. They can also weigh about 150-200 pounds. In captivity they are a huge attraction for visitors. However, in the wild they are a threat to the entire herd as they will attract more predators to that group than normal. They can grow very high during that first year of life.

Amazingly, they learn how to walk within a couple of hours. However, they do get tired very fast and that means they can become easy prey too. For about two weeks the young calves will rest as much as they can and be protected by their mothers. Only about 25% of young giraffes make it to adulthood. This is mainly due to such predators while they are still in their infancy.

The milk of the mother is very nutritious and the calves will drink from it for about the first year of life. Young giraffes feed from the grass and low lying leaves when they are about two months of age. They can do this standing underneath their mother while she feeds. In many herds though there are nurseries for the young to be protected while they mothers eat.

Also see elephant facts