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
The White Giraffe The White Giraffe The White Giraffe is a children's novel by Lauren St John first published in 2006. It is the first in the African Adventures series. Lauren St. John picked out a giraffe for the story because she always wanted to ride one. When St. John was a child living in Zimbabwe, Africa, she owned several wild animals including a giraffe. This book was the winner of the 2008 East Sussex Children’s Book Award. It was also nominated for the 2010 Rebecca Caudill Award and included in the 2009-2010 District 65 Battle Of The Books, an intermediate book award