Milk Composition of the Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) through Lactation
Reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) are the most common subspecies of giraffe maintained in zoological institutions. The gestation length for a reticulated giraffe is about 455 days (15 months). Lactation in wild giraffes has been estimated to last 12-13 months. The milk samples used in this study were part of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park’s Milk Repository and had been stored at -20°C since collection. For this study 15 reticulated giraffe milk samples from three individuals were analyzed. Two of