April the Giraffe
February 24, 2017 2:21 PM Subscribe
April the Giraffe is due to give birth to her fourth giraffe baby at the age of 15. Zookeepers have set up a live stream of her pen in the days approaching its arrival.
Plus some additional giraffe facts from Animal Planet.
Plus some additional giraffe facts from Animal Planet.
Earlier today when I checked in with the cam she was licking her nether region a lot. Not sure if giraffes do that leading up to the birthing process starting or not...cats do.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 2:59 PM on February 24, 2017
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 2:59 PM on February 24, 2017
She was having a rough night the other night. Poor lady giraffe.
posted by Capt. Renault at 3:09 PM on February 24, 2017
posted by Capt. Renault at 3:09 PM on February 24, 2017
Good god, baby giraffes are roughly 6 FEET TALL when born. That is just.. well.. that's just a whole bunch of oh hell no is what that is right there.
posted by bologna on wry at 3:20 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bologna on wry at 3:20 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
In my mind, there's an interspecies maternity ward, and the giraffe is just looking at the human mother thinking, "that's it? All of that crying and screaming for *that* little thing?"
In the next bed over, the blue whale is looking at the giraffe and thinking the same thing.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:58 PM on February 24, 2017 [6 favorites]
In the next bed over, the blue whale is looking at the giraffe and thinking the same thing.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:58 PM on February 24, 2017 [6 favorites]
Most live births by most animals seem to happen without much fuss at all. No protracted labor, no screaming, things just slide out into the world. The Biblical reason for painful childbirth is that Eve was cursed for giving Adam the forbidden fruit. I wonder if science has any real explanation for why human birth seems to be so extreme for the mother compared to other mammals.
Also, yes, I've seen videos of giraffe births. Worst. Waterslide. Ever. doesn't even begin to cover it. But everyone is fine and walking around and acting like giraffes within minutes, which always astounds me.
posted by hippybear at 4:03 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
Also, yes, I've seen videos of giraffe births. Worst. Waterslide. Ever. doesn't even begin to cover it. But everyone is fine and walking around and acting like giraffes within minutes, which always astounds me.
posted by hippybear at 4:03 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
I wonder if science has any real explanation for why human birth seems to be so extreme for the mother compared to other mammals.
I've been under the impression that it's a combination of compromises to pelvic width related to bipedalism and our proportionally very large heads.
posted by atoxyl at 4:22 PM on February 24, 2017 [6 favorites]
I've been under the impression that it's a combination of compromises to pelvic width related to bipedalism and our proportionally very large heads.
posted by atoxyl at 4:22 PM on February 24, 2017 [6 favorites]
> I wonder if science has any real explanation for why human birth seems to be so extreme for the mother compared to other mammals.
The short answer is big brains. Humans are born with unusually largely proportioned heads.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 4:22 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
The short answer is big brains. Humans are born with unusually largely proportioned heads.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 4:22 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
"Giraffe births are bananas."
Yeah, I saw a giraffe birth at an impressionable age and it almost put me off mammalian reproduction completely. (Also horrifying: Orca birth.)
"In the next bed over, the blue whale is looking at the giraffe and thinking the same thing."
Blue whale babies drink 150 gallons of milk per day and gain 200 pounds per day.
Human infants drink about 30 oz. per day once they ramp up (a little under a quarter gallon), and gain about 1/2 oz to 1 oz per day. And that's plenty to knock you on your ass with exhaustion from having to produce 30 oz. of milk!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 4:28 PM on February 24, 2017 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I saw a giraffe birth at an impressionable age and it almost put me off mammalian reproduction completely. (Also horrifying: Orca birth.)
"In the next bed over, the blue whale is looking at the giraffe and thinking the same thing."
Blue whale babies drink 150 gallons of milk per day and gain 200 pounds per day.
Human infants drink about 30 oz. per day once they ramp up (a little under a quarter gallon), and gain about 1/2 oz to 1 oz per day. And that's plenty to knock you on your ass with exhaustion from having to produce 30 oz. of milk!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 4:28 PM on February 24, 2017 [4 favorites]
I have spent so much time watching this dang giraffe cam. She just (very slowly and laboriously) laid down, so chances of a baby happening anytime soon are small.
posted by Fig at 6:15 PM on February 24, 2017
posted by Fig at 6:15 PM on February 24, 2017
Apparently it's been (temporarily?) removed from YouTube but the Facebook inclined can find a live stream here.
posted by glhaynes at 6:51 PM on February 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by glhaynes at 6:51 PM on February 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have been watching this feed for the last two (three?) days. It's both awesome and incredibly stressful to watch. WHEN WILL THE BABY COME???
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 7:52 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 7:52 PM on February 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
In case you can't stand the suspense, Jana the Giraffe at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo had a baby last summer. Meet Amari.
posted by adamg at 8:01 PM on February 24, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by adamg at 8:01 PM on February 24, 2017 [4 favorites]
Regarding Eve and big baby heads: the scientific reason for difficult pregnancies is for some rabbinical scholarship already described. That is, humans chose knowledge off the tree and so gained art and law and science et al in exchange for blissful ignorance. That meant big heads for our big brains, so naturally, human labor must become more difficult.
(Not saying there is truth in this statement, just interesting and I thought fit the points above.)
More on topic, having gone through labor myself, SIX FEET TALL NO NO NO
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 7:00 AM on February 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
(Not saying there is truth in this statement, just interesting and I thought fit the points above.)
More on topic, having gone through labor myself, SIX FEET TALL NO NO NO
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 7:00 AM on February 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
In the next bed over, the blue whale is looking at the giraffe and thinking the same thing.
Size isn't everything. Baby cetaceans may be gigantic, but at least they're streamlined. Baby giraffes, not so much. You'll see.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:17 AM on February 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Size isn't everything. Baby cetaceans may be gigantic, but at least they're streamlined. Baby giraffes, not so much. You'll see.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:17 AM on February 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
More on topic, having gone through labor myself, SIX FEET TALL NO NO NO
My labor failed to progress, so I couldn't even push a human baby of reasonable size (7 pounds) out, I had to have a c-section. My admiration for giraffes just grows by leaps and bounds :-)
posted by 41swans at 10:48 AM on February 25, 2017
My labor failed to progress, so I couldn't even push a human baby of reasonable size (7 pounds) out, I had to have a c-section. My admiration for giraffes just grows by leaps and bounds :-)
posted by 41swans at 10:48 AM on February 25, 2017
And looks like another night with no progress. The zookeepers posted an update saying the wax caps(!?) have fallen off her teats - so maybe tomorrow?
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 9:25 PM on February 25, 2017
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 9:25 PM on February 25, 2017
Apparently it's been (temporarily?) removed from YouTube but the Facebook inclined can find a live stream here.--glhaynes
Apparently it was removed by animal activists in protest by flagging it as containing sexual content, but is back up.
(I believe the protest is over having giraffes in captivity).
posted by eye of newt at 10:02 PM on February 25, 2017
Apparently it was removed by animal activists in protest by flagging it as containing sexual content, but is back up.
(I believe the protest is over having giraffes in captivity).
posted by eye of newt at 10:02 PM on February 25, 2017
So, the giraffe is still pregnant.
Is this normal, to have a multi day labor like this?
posted by spinifex23 at 1:30 PM on February 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is this normal, to have a multi day labor like this?
posted by spinifex23 at 1:30 PM on February 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don't know, I was in labor for 3 days with Baby Kitty and he was a paltry 8lbs 9 oz and 21.5 inches long. I imagine a six foot monstrosity of legs and neck can take a bit longer to find its way out .
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 5:50 PM on February 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 5:50 PM on February 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
That makes sense - thank you for the answer!
posted by spinifex23 at 5:57 PM on February 26, 2017
posted by spinifex23 at 5:57 PM on February 26, 2017
I keep checking in on the poor dear, too. I believe they don't consider it "active labor" until the actual hooves/face start emerging. She's definitely been in some pain, though. Sometimes it looks like contractions and pushing, other times she's just laying around, chilling, snacking on hay, or wandering around checking out the camera and getting a drink of water. This is a l-o-n-g, weird process!
posted by jhope71 at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jhope71 at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Whoops, they temporarily replaced the feed with an old recording. N/m...
posted by christopherious at 11:22 AM on February 27, 2017
posted by christopherious at 11:22 AM on February 27, 2017
Still no bebe giraffe. I hope they keep the livefeed up for a while after the little one arrives; I like popping by and checking in on April and Oliver every now and then. It's very exciting when there are humans in there cleaning the stalls -- they look so tiny, and you're reminded that the camera is about 20 feet up.
I noticed that nearly every time I check in on her she's up and wandering, so I did some Googling on giraffe sleep and found out that in captivity giraffes only sleep about 4-5 hours / day; and in the wild, only 30 min! It makes sense, since there are lots of predators and especially when they're lying down, they are an easy target. But geez. Something that big seems like it deserves lots of rest just for existing.
posted by Fig at 7:06 AM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
I noticed that nearly every time I check in on her she's up and wandering, so I did some Googling on giraffe sleep and found out that in captivity giraffes only sleep about 4-5 hours / day; and in the wild, only 30 min! It makes sense, since there are lots of predators and especially when they're lying down, they are an easy target. But geez. Something that big seems like it deserves lots of rest just for existing.
posted by Fig at 7:06 AM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
April the Giraffe has a message for everyone
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 2:54 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 2:54 PM on March 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Moar Giraffe News!
Denver Zoo reveals baby giraffe Dobby after surprise pregnancy.
posted by spinifex23 at 11:29 AM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Denver Zoo reveals baby giraffe Dobby after surprise pregnancy.
posted by spinifex23 at 11:29 AM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Baby giraffes have to be some of the cutest of baby animals. The horns that are just tufts of hair, the little floppy smirky lips, big doe eyes, SO CUTE.
posted by Fig at 12:43 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Fig at 12:43 PM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
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Giraffe births are bananas. Most I can say without spoiling it: Worst. Waterslide. Ever.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:53 PM on February 24, 2017 [8 favorites]