Baby animals of the Maasai Mara

I’ve always been incredibly passionate about animals. When I was three years old, a baby squirrel imprinted on me. It followed me around all day, and I realized my love for wildlife from that age on. Baby animals are special though. From wolf pups all the way to baby frogs, nothing can top the cuteness of babies and their importance to pass on genetic information. Here in the Mara, we see baby animals almost every day. Here are some pictures of my recent sightings and facts about the species:

This was an incredible shot, a mother leopard with her cub. The mother will carry her cubs to new dens every 2-3 days to get away from predators and disturbance.

The migration has allowed for us to see a lot of action including cute calves! Here is two mothers with their babies. Moms can be pregnant up to 8.5 months and will only give birth to one calf. Wildebeest can live up to 20 years! 

Of course I had to put a picture of one of our baby hyenas! This is SALU. When hyena cubs are born, the dominant cub will be the one to nurse in preferred position. This is when the cub has its belly up against the mom's belly. The other cub will then nurse by sticking out away from the mom. The cubs are born with their eyes open and sharp teeth already poking through their gums. We love baby hyenas! 

A lion cub sneaking a peak out of the bushes. All cubs are born with tiny spots that will disappear as they age. Adult females will also allonurse (nurse the cubs of other females) to allow for survival of all cubs that are present.

My ultimate favorite is the giraffe calf. They are absolutely adorable. Mom who leave their babies to go forage will leave their kids with another mother to "daycare" for their offspring. This allows for protection.

Citations:
https://www.africa-wildlife-detective.com/lion-cubs.html
https://www.animalfactsencyclopedia.com/Baby-leopard.html
http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/wildebeest_facts/254/
https://sciencing.com/cottontail-life-cycle-6580739.html
https://www.animalfactsencyclopedia.com/Baby-hyena.html