"Giraffe Stature and Neck Elongation: Vigilance as an Evolutionary Mechanism". "Giraffes may not have evolved long necks to reach tall trees". The mammals of the southern African subregion. Foster (1976/1982): The Giraffe: its biology, behavior, and ecology. "Why sauropods had long necks and why giraffes have short necks". Megaherbivores: the lnfluence of very large body size on ecology. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. "On the origin, evolution and phylogeny of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis". Of the nine sub-species of giraffe, only one, the Rothchild's, is endangered. When giraffes of two different sub-species breed, the young are called hybrids (mixed breeds). There are about nine different subspecies of giraffe, with only small differences between them. Those with the longer and stronger necks will reproduce more frequently and keep their genes in the giraffe population for longer compared to the males with shorter, weaker necks. The females, who receive little to no aid from their partners in raising the calves, prefer the males that are victorious. These long necks, are, in fact, used as a weapon during the male on male intra–sexual battle that is also referred to as a spar. Giraffes use their feet to kick predators away, and mature male giraffes use their head and necks to fight for dominance at mating time. Giraffes can live to 25 years old, and in captivity they can live 35 years. Young giraffes become mature when they are 4 years old, and they are fully grown when they are 6 years old. The calf stays with its mother for 1 1⁄ 2 years. Giraffe calfs are already 2 m tall and weigh 50–55 kg. Giraffes give birth while standing, so the baby falls down 2 metres. Young male giraffes foa single baby, which is called "calf". Like all mammals, giraffes have only seven bones in their necks. Their rough tongue allows them to eat the acacia leaves protected by thorns. Giraffes eat mostly leaves from tall trees, which they can reach because of their long legs and long necks, as well as fruit. Most giraffes live either in East Africa or in Angola and Zambia in southwestern Africa. They do not live in thick forests where it is difficult to see predators (such as lions) approaching.The temperature is normally around 70 degrees. They live on the savannah, which is the African grassland, or in light woodland. These are fur-covered bumps on their skulls, unlike the horns of other animals. These come from the cartilage displaced from their skull as it develops. Both male and female giraffes have small horn-like stumps on their head, which are covered with skin. The different sub-species have different coat patterns. Their fur has a light yellowish tan or off-white colour with brown or russet patches. This they use to wrap around leaves and pull them off trees. They have a long black tongue, up to 45 cm in length. Maximum weights of 1,930 kg (4,250 lb) and having been recorded for males and females, respectively. The average weight is 1,192 kg (2,628 lb) for an adult male and 828 kg (1,825 lb) for an adult female. The tallest recorded male was 5.88 m (19.3 ft) and the tallest recorded female was 5.17 m (17.0 ft) tall. Fully grown giraffes stand 4.3–5.7 m (14.1–18.7 ft) tall, with males taller than females. Giraffes are the tallest land animals on Earth, with necks that can be up to 2-2.4 m (6.6-7.9 ft) in length. Giraffes have a very long neck and long legs. Giraffes and Okapi are the family Giraffidae, and are the only extant giraffids. Giraffes have an even number of toes and are the tallest land animals. A giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis) is a mammal which lives in Africa.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |