{"id":398,"date":"2022-12-21T23:33:15","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T23:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinggiants.org\/?p=398"},"modified":"2023-01-25T18:48:47","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T18:48:47","slug":"how-long-are-deer-pregnant-gestation-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinggiants.org\/how-long-are-deer-pregnant-gestation-period\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Are Deer Pregnant? Gestation Period Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Pregnant<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Deer are elusive at the best of times, so it\u2019s almost completely unheard of to catch a glimpse of a pregnant doe, which is why so many of us know so little about the gestation period of these majestic and frightfully shy creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, as it happens, certain species of deer are polyestrous, meaning they go into heat a number of times in a single mating season, so there are almost certainly plenty of pregnant does around your local deer hotspot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, being that deer rely on swiftness of hoof to survive, you might think that pregnancy would put does in significant danger, unless, that is, they enjoy a remarkably short gestation period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, though, this isn\u2019t at all the case\u2026 read on to learn how long a doe bears young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Deer Gestation Periods<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are over 48 species<\/a> of deer, so as you might expect, gestation periods will vary from species to species, but if we\u2019re talking about the more common variants across the US, you\u2019re looking at something between 180 and 200 days.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This translates to just over 6.5 months, and while that\u2019s not quite as long as human gestation, it\u2019s by no means a fleeting pregnancy, especially when you take nature\u2019s shortest gestation periods into consideration!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Virginian possum, for instance, will give birth to their young after only 12 days, and a hamster will go into labor after only 16\u201323 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But enough with the generalities\u2026 let\u2019s dig into the nitty gritty with a species-by-species gestation period breakdown!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Species-By-Species Gestation Periods<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n