Which young animal develops longer inside the mother's womb, an elephant or a giraffe?

An elephant develops longer inside the mother's womb than a giraffe. Mother Nature Network notes that elephants have a gestation period of nearly two years, the longest gestation period of any mammal. A giraffe's gestation period is 13 to 15 months.

Long developmental periods are not unusual in intelligent animals. The fact that the elephant is the largest land animal and the one with the largest brain helps explain its lengthy gestational period.

Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world. They give birth standing up, and the babies fall to the ground. Baby giraffes must be ready to face a world teeming with predators when they are born, which partially explains the long gestation time, states Mother Nature Network.