Gestation period is the time from fertilization to the actual birth in animals. In humans this period is 266 days or approximately 9 months. The shortest gestation period known in mammals is approximately 12 days., Mammals will continue to lactate as long as their young are nursing, so in order to stop lactation, the young will be weaned. Weaning is when the young are removed from the mother., For mammals, the gestation period is the time taken for a foetus to develop – beginning with fertilization and ending with birth. Generally, there are two main factors that contribute to the length of the gestation period: The level of development at birth for mammalian infants can be described as either atricial or precocial., Gestation is the period of time that a mammal carries her offspring, or babies, inside her body before giving birth. The length of gestation is different for each type of mammal., Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like A gestation period is the length of time from, Artificial insemination is the primary breeding method used with, What should newborn mammals consume immediately after birth? and more., .