Question

The longest gestation period is found in
A) Elephant
B) Gorilla
C) Chimpanzee
D) Man

Answer 1

Hint: The gestation period is a time when a fertilized fetus grows in the mother's uterus starting from fertilization between egg and sperm and ending with the birth of an offspring. The gestation period varies from species to species. This period also depends upon the size of the mammal. The smaller species will have a short gestation period and bigger species will have a longer gestation period.

Complete answer:
Let's go through options one by one to get the correct answer.
Option A: This giant and gentle creature has a gestation period of more than a year and a half that is 640 to 660 days. Female elephants can live up to 60-70 years but they can have a maximum of 4 offspring throughout their lifetime.
Option B: Gorilla has a gestation period of 257 days which is almost 9 months.
Option C: Chimpanzee has a gestation period of 237 days.
Option D: In the human female, the gestation period is 270 days long which is around 9 months.

So, the correct answer is A, Elephant who has the longest gestation period.

Additional information: Most of the female Elephants carry only one baby at a time but few can carry twins as well. When the female Elephant is giving birth to a baby elephant, all the other elephants in the herd, make a circle around her to protect her and the baby.

Note: To remember, the elephant has the longest gestation period of average 650 days and the Virginian opossum has the shortest gestation period of 12 days. Scientists have hypothesized that the long gestation period allows the elephant to develop a full brain with complex cognitive skills.