Page 13 - Amazing Creations Volume One
P. 13
Amazing Creations 11
Richard Gunther
A baby elephant takes 22 months from conception to birth.
When it is ready to be born it can weigh as much as 115 kg.
When the birth happens, one or two older female elephants stand
ready like midwives to help if needed.
They have been seen pulling gently at the baby, and helping it stand.
During the birth a 'midwife' touches the mother with her trunk, as
if to reassure her.
The baby breaks its own umbilical cord when it drops.
As soon as the baby can walk about freely, the mother and
'midwives' take it to the herd, where it is greeted with sounds
and touching, as the herd learns the identity of the new member.
It
For the next three years or so the baby will suckle from its mother.
From incredibly complex DNA code to conception, to gestation and
development from a single cell to a baby, from birth to maturity, the
whole process of an elephant's life is like one continuous miracle.
