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. A marsupial has a short gestation period, typically shorter than placental. For more information on how these estimates were ascertained, see Wikipedia's articles on gestational age.
The gestation figures given here are shown in days. They represent average values and should only be considered as approximations.
| Mammal | data-sort-type="number" colspan = 3 | Gestation period (days)[1] | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Max | Average | ||
| African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) | 71 | |||
| Alpaca (Lama pacos) | 345 | [2] [3] | ||
| Acouchi (Green) (Myoprocta pratti) | 98 | |||
| American bison (Bison bison) | 285 | |||
| Antelope (Blackbuck) (Antilope cervicapra) | 165 | |||
| Antelope (Impala) (Aepyceros melampus) | 191 | |||
| Antelope (Sable) (Hippotragus niger) | 270 | |||
| Armadillo (Nine-banded) (Dasypus novemcinctus) | 120 | |||
| Armadillo (Six-banded) (Euphractus sexcinctus) | 62 | |||
| Baboon (Papio sp.) | 185 | [4] | ||
| Badger (American) (Taxidea taxus) | 60 | |||
| Bear (black) (Ursus americanus) | 220 | [5] | ||
| Bear (grizzly) (Ursus arctos) | 215 | |||
| Bear (polar) (Ursus maritimus) | 241 | |||
| Beaver (Castor sp.) | 122 | |||
| Wild boar (Sus scrofa) | 120 | |||
| Bonobo (Pan paniscus) | 196 | 260 | 228 | |
| Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) | 360 | 420 | 390 | |
| Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) | 158 | |||
| Capuchin monkey (Gracile) (Cebus sp.) | 180 | |||
| Cat (domestic) | 58 | 67 | 64 | |
| Cattle (Bos taurus) | 279 | 287 | 283 | [6] |
| Cheetah (Acinoyx jubatus) | 92 | |||
| Chital (Axis axis) | 218 | |||
| Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) | 230 | 250 | 240 | |
| Chinchilla | 105 | 115 | 110 | [7] |
| Chinchilla (Long-tailed) (Chinchilla laniger) | 110 | |||
| Chipmunk | 31 | |||
| Colobus (King) (Colobus polykomos) | 180 | 213 | 202 | |
| Coyote (Canis latrans) | 62 | |||
| Coypu (Myocastor coypus) | 132 | |||
| Deer (Common fallow deer) (Dama dama) | 228 | [8] | ||
| Deer (mule deer) (Odocoileus hemionus) | 206 | |||
| Deer (Père David's) (Elaphurus davidianus) | 284 | |||
| Deer (red deer) (Cervus elaphus) | 238 | |||
| Deer (Sambar) (Rusa unicolor) | 246 | |||
| Deer (white-tailed) (Odocoileus virginianus) | 201 | |||
| Dog (domestic) (Canis familiaris) | 58 | 65 | 61 | |
| Dolphin (Bottlenose) (Tursiops truncatus) | 364 | |||
| Dolphin (Spinner) (Stenella longirostris) | 318 | |||
| Donkey (Equus asinus) | 335 | 426 | 365 | |
| Douc (red-shanked) (Pygathrix nemaeus) | 180 | 190 | 185 | |
| Duiker (Bay) (Cephalophus dorsalis) | 120 | |||
| Eland (Common) (Taurotragus oryx) | 255 | |||
| Elephant (Asian) | 617 | |||
| Elephant (African bush) (Loxodonta africana) | 655 | |||
| Elephant shrew (Bushveld) (Elephantulus intufi) | 51 | |||
| Elephant shrew (eastern rock elephant shrew) (Elephantulus myurus) | 46 | |||
| Elk (wapiti) (Cervus canadensis) | 240 | 250 | 245 | |
| European mink (Mustela lutreola) | 38 | 76 | 57 | [9] |
| Ferret (domestic) (Mustela furo) | 41 | 42 | 41 | |
| Flying squirrel (Southern) (Glaucomys volans) | 40 | |||
| Fox (Bat-eared) (Otocyon megalotis) | 65 | |||
| Fox (island) (Urocyon littoralis) | 63 | |||
| Fox (red) (Vulpes vulpes) | 52 | |||
| Galago (Galago sp.) | 124 | |||
| Gazelle (Dorcas) (Gazella dorcas) | 132 | |||
| Gazelle (Thomson's) (Gazella thomsonii) | 165 | |||
| Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) | 170 | |||
| Gerbil (Greater Egyptian) (Gebrillus pyramidum) | 21 | |||
| Gerbil (Mongolian) (Meriones unguiculatus) | 22 | 130 | 24 | |
| Gibbon (lar) (Hylobates lar) | 220 | |||
| Giraffe (Giraffa sp.) | 420 | 450 | 430 | |
| Goat (domestic) (Capra hircus) | 145 | 155 | 150 | |
| Goat (mountain goat) (Oreamnos americanus) | 176 | |||
| Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) | 131 | |||
| Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) | 255 | 260 | 257 | |
| Grivet (Cercopithecus aethiops) | 210 | |||
| Guenon (Cercopithecus sp.) | 160 | |||
| Guinea pig (Cavia sp.) | 56 | 74 | 65 | |
| Hamster | 16 | 23 | 20 | |
| Hamster (Chinese) (Cricetulus griseus) | 21 | |||
| Hamster (Golden) (Mesocricetus auratus) | 16 | |||
| Hare (European) (Lepus europaeus) | 41 | |||
| Hedgehog (European) (Erinaceus europaeus) | 34 | |||
| Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) | 225 | 250 | 237 | |
| Horse (Equus caballus) | 330 | 342 | 336 | |
| Human (Homo sapiens) | 259 | 275 | 270 | |
| Hyena (Striped) (Hyaena hyaena) | 90 | |||
| Jackal (golden) (Canis aureus) | 62 | |||
| Kangaroo | 42 | |||
| Kinkajou (Potos flavus) | 77 | |||
| Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) | 34 | [10] | ||
| Langur (northern plain) (Semnopithecus entellus or Presbytis entellus) | 183 | |||
| Lemur (Lemur sp.) | 128 | |||
| Leopard (Panthera pardus) | 92 | 95 | 93 | |
| Lion (Panthera leo) | 108 | |||
| Llama (Lama glama) | 330 | |||
| Lynx (Canadian) (Lynx canadensis) | 60 | |||
| Macaque (Bonnet) (Macaca radiata) | 153 | 169 | 161 | |
| Macaque (Celebes crested) (Macaca nigra) | 155 | 175 | 164 | |
| Macaque (Crab-eating) (Macaca fascicularis) | 153 | 179 | 165 | |
| Macaque (Formosan rock) (Macaca cyclopis) | 163 | |||
| Macaque (Japanese) (Macaca fuscata) | 150 | 180 | 166 | |
| Macaque (Rhesus) (Macaca mulatta) | 164 | |||
| Macaque (Southern pig-tailed) (Macaca nemestrina) | 168 | 171 | 170 | |
| Macaque (Stump-tailed) (Macaca arctoides) | 168 | 184 | 182 | |
| Macaque (Toque) (Macaca sinica) | 180 | |||
| Mangabey (Grey-cheeked) (Cercocebus albigena) | 174 | |||
| Howler monkey (mantled howler) (Alquatta paliatta) | 139 | |||
| Marmoset (Goeldi's) (Callimico goeldii) | 149 | 152 | 151 | |
| Mink | 40 | 75 | 57 | |
| Monkey (blue) (Cercopithecus mitis) | 140 | |||
| Monkey (Dusky leaf) (Trachypithecus obscurus or Presbytis obscurus) | 150 | |||
| Monkey (patas) (Erythrocebus patas) | 192 | |||
| Monkey (proboscis) (Nasalis larvatus) | 166 | |||
| Monkey (Red-tailed) (Cercopithecus ascanius) | 190 | |||
| Monkey (spider) (Ateles sp.) | 139 | [11] | ||
| Monkey (squirrel) (Saimiri sp.) | 167 | |||
| Monkey (Talapoin) (Cercopithecus talapoin) | 196 | |||
| Monkey (Vervet) (Cercopithecus pygerythrus) | 195 | |||
| Moose (Alces alces) | 240 | 250 | 245 | |
| Mouse (domestic) (Mus musculus) | 19 | |||
| Mouse (meadow) | 21 | |||
| Mouse (Cotton) (Peromyscus gossypinus) | 23 | |||
| Mouse (White-footed) (Peromyscus leucopus) | 23 | |||
| Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) | 28 | 30 | 29 | |
| Opossum (Virginia) (Didelphis virginiana) | 12 | 13 | 12 | |
| Orangutan (Bornean) (Pongo pygmaeus) | 234 | |||
| Orca (Orcinus orca) | 473 | 567 | 532 | [12] |
| Otter (Lutra sp.) | 60 | 86 | 73 | |
| Pig (domestic) (Sus domesticus) | 112 | 115 | 113 | |
| Porcupine (Crested) (Hystrix cristata) | 112 | |||
| Porcupine (North American) (Erethizon dorsatum) | 113 | |||
| Porpoise (harbour) (Phocoena phocoena) | 270 | |||
| Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) | 246 | |||
| Puma (Puma concolor) | 90 | |||
| Quokka (Setonix brachyurus) | 26 | [13] | ||
| Rabbit (domestic) | 28 | 35 | 31 | |
| Rabbit (European) (Oryctolagus cuniculus) | 31 | |||
| Raccoon (Procyon lotor) | 63 | |||
| Rat (Rattus sp.) | 21 | 23 | 22 | [14] |
| Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) | 215 | |||
| Rat (Hispid cotton) (Sigmodon hispidus) | 27 | |||
| Rhinoceros (black) (Diceros bicornis) | 450 | |||
| Rhinoceros (Indian) (Rhinoceros unicornis) | 478 | [15] | ||
| Rhinoceros (white) (Ceratotherium simum) | 467 | |||
| Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) | 255 | |||
| Seal | 330 | |||
| Seal (Northern fur) (Callorhinus ursinus) | 254 | |||
| Seal (Weddel) (Leptonychotes wedelli) | 310 | |||
| Sea lion (California) (Zalophus californianus) | 350 | |||
| Sheep (Ovis aries) | 150 | |||
| Sheep (Bighorn) (Ovis canadensis) | 180 | |||
| Slow loris (Sunda loris) (Nycticebus coucang) | 90 | |||
| Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) | 236 | |||
| Skunk (Striped) (Mephitis mephitis) | 65 | |||
| Squirrel (gray) (Sciurus carolinensis) | 30 | 40 | 35 | |
| Squirrel (red) (Sciurus vulgaris) | 38 | |||
| Stripe-faced dunnart (Sminthopsis macroura) | 9.5 | 12 | 11 | [16] |
| Tamarin (Saguinus sp.) | 162 | |||
| Tapir (Malayan) (Acrocodia indica) | 379 | |||
| Tiger (Panthera tigris) | 105 | 113 | 109 | |
| Treeshrew (common) (Tupaia glis) | 46 | |||
| Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) | 456 | |||
| Whale (Beluga) (Delphinapterus leucas) | 408 | |||
| Whale (sperm) (Physeter catodon) | 480 | 590 | 535 | |
| Wolf (Canis lupus) | 60 | 68 | 64 | |
| Wombat | 26 | 28 | 27 | |
| Woolly monkey (Brown) (Lagothrix lagothrica) | 139 | |||
| Yak (Bos grunniens) | 255 | |||
| Zebu (Bos taurus) | 280 | |||
| Zebra (Burchell's) (Equus quagga burchelli) | 390 | |||
| Zebra (Grant's) (Equus quagga boehmi) | 361 | 390 | 375 | |
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.[17] Larger mammals are more likely to produce a well-developed neonate than small mammals. Large mammals develop at an absolute slower rate compared to small mammals. Thus, the large mammal tend have longer gestation periods than small mammal as they tend to produce larger neonate.[18] Large mammals require a longer period of time to attain any proportion of adult mass compared to small mammals.[19]
More developed infants will typically require a longer gestation period. Altricial mammals needs less time to gestate compare to the precocial (well-developed neonate) mammal. A typical precocial mammal has a gestation period almost four times longer than a typical altricial mammal of the same body size.[20] Precocial mammal species generally have greater adult body weights than altricial mammals as precocial mammals have markedly longer gestation periods than altricial mammals.[21] The neonatal of larger mammals develop relatively more quickly and thus making it more likely that a large mammal would produce a more well-developed neonate as a consequence of its longer gestation period. In some cases, some mammal species may have similar gestation periods despite having significantly different body masses.[22]
In response to the conditions of the environment, some mammals, such as bat delay the implantation due to the cold temperature in winter.[23] Another factor is due to the shortage of food stocks during winter as the insects are being driven away and as the result, bat hibernate in pregnant condition.[24]
In pinnipeds, the purpose of delayed implantation is in order to increase survival chance of the young animals as the mother ensure that the neonates are born at an optimal season.[25]