How is gestation determined for mammals?

For mammals the gestation period is the time in which a fetus develops, beginning with fertilization and ending at birth. The duration of this period varies between species. For most species, the amount a fetus grows before birth determines the length of the gestation period.

What factors can affect different animals gestation period?

Generally, there are two main factors that contribute to the length of the gestation period:

• Animal size / mass – larger animals tend to have longer gestation periods (as they tend to produce larger offspring)
• The level of development at birth – more developed infants will typically require a longer gestation period.

Which animal has most gestation period?

The African elephant has the longest gestation period followed by the Asian Elephant & Sperm Whale.

Rank	Mammal	Days
1	Elephant (African)	645
2	Elephant (Asian)	617
3	Whale (sperm)	480–590
4	Rhinoceros (black)	450

Which animal has low pregnancy period?

A hamster can have babies in as little as 16 days!

Rank	Mammal	Days
1	Hamster	16-23
2	Mouse	19
3	Mouse (meadow)	21
4	Rat	21-23

What is a gestation period for animals?

Answer: Veterinarians call the duration of pregnancy the “gestation period.” As you mentioned, humans take about nine months. Here is a list of approximate gestation periods for some domestic animals: Dog, 62 to 64 days. Cat, 58 to 65 days. Horse, 330 to 342 days.

Did you know facts about gestation?

In fact, it can expand up to 500 times the size during pregnancy.

• The longest pregnancy ever recorded was 375 days long.
• A pregnant woman’s blood volume increases by 40-50\%
• So do your feet.
• Babies can hear their mother’s voice from inside the womb.
• Your joints loosen during pregnancy.
• Parts of you may change colour.

What five factors may influence gestation length?

Gestation length can be influenced by several maternal factors (maternal age, number of births, maternal nutrition), fetal (sex of the foal) and environmental factors (location, year of birth, month of birth, weather.

What is the gestation period of animals?

The gestation period for a cow is about nine months long.

Mammal	Gestation period (days)
Chipmunk	31
Cow	279–292
Deer (white-tailed)	201
Dog (domestic)	58–65, Average 61

What’s the gestation period for an elephant?

Asian elephant: 18 – 22 months
African bush elephant: 22 months
Elephant/Gestation period

Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world, so it’s perhaps not surprising that they have the longest pregnancy of any living mammal: African elephants are pregnant for an average of 22 months, whilst for Asian elephants it’s 18 to 22 months.

What are the mammals with a gestation period?

This is a collection of lists of mammal gestation period estimated by experts in their fields. The mammals included are only viviparous ( marsupials and placentals) as some mammals, which are monotremes (including platypuses and echidnas) lay their eggs.

What is gestation in biology?

Gestation is the period of time that a mammal carries her offspring, or babies, inside her body before giving birth. The length of gestation is different for each type of mammal. Larger animals usually have longer gestations than smaller animals. Human gestation, or pregnancy, lasts about nine months.

Are the gestation figures shown in days or months?

The gestation figures given here are shown in days. They represent average values and should only be considered as approximations. There are several factors affecting the length of the gestation period in mammals. There is a positive relationship between mass at birth and length of gestation in eutherian mammals.

Do any animals experience an arrest in development during gestation?

Embryos of some species experience an arrest in development that greatly prolongs gestation. This is especially true of the fur-bearing carnivores the martens and weasels. Embryos of the European badger and American marten, which breed in July and August, develop for a few days, then lie dormant in the uterus,…