Giraffe up. The calf emerges head and front legs first, having broken through the fetal membranes, and falls to the ground, severing the umbilical cord. The mother then grooms the newborn and helps it stand up. A newborn giraffe is tall. Within a few hours of birth, the calf can run around and is almost indistinguishable from a one-week-old. However, for the first 1–3 weeks, it spends most of its time hiding; its coat pattern providing camouflage. The ossicones, which have lain flat while it was in the womb, become erect within a few days. Mothers with calves will gather in
Sophie the Giraffe Sophie the Giraffe Sophie the Giraffe is a teether – a toy for teething infants to chew on – in the form of a hevea rubber giraffe. The toy has been made in France (as "Sophie la Girafe") since 1961, first in Asnières-sur-Oise, near Paris, by Delacoste, then from 1991 by Vulli, based in Rumilly in the French Alps. Its name refers to its launch on 25 May 1961, the feast day of Saint Madeline Sophie Barat. It has achieved national icon status in France, according to "Slate", with more sold each year (816,000 in 2010) than babies are born