Reproductive life history of Thornicroft’s giraffe in Zambia: Giraffe reproduction in Zambia
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Issue Date
2010Journal title
African Journal of EcologyVolume
48Issue
2Begin page
535End page
538
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http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01145.xAbstract
Knowledge of the reproductive life history of giraffe in the wild is sparse. Giraffe have two fairly unusual reproductive patterns among large mammals: they can become pregnant while lactating, and calf mortality is extremely high. Longitudinal records are largely absent, so tracking reproductive parameters tends to combine information from captive and field studies. In this study, we examine longitudinal data obtained over a 33‐year period in one population of Thornicroft’s giraffe in order to chart their reproductive careers. We found that age at first parturition was 6.4 years, or slightly later than in captivity. Giraffe bred throughout the year, with cows producing offspring on average every 677.7 days. About half of the calves died before one year of age, but death of a calf did not reduce interbirth interval. We conclude that the lifetime reproductive success of giraffe is more dependent on longevity and calf survivorship than on reproductive rate.Type
ArticleRights
© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltdae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01145.x
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