Page 21 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

GIRAFFE 21

do look like they are made from bits and pieces taken
Giraffe habitats
from other beasts.
Such an eclectic mix of body parts has, however, made
the giraffe one of the African savannah’s great success
stories.A long neck means that they can feed on foliage
not accessible to other animals.Their prehensile (gripping)
tongue and mobile lips enable them to pull hard to reach
buds and leaves into the mouth with ease.Their coat
provides them with superb cryptic camouflage, so they
can blend in with the dry grasses of the African plains.
Their hooves are powerful enough to crush the skull of a
lion or break its spine, although giraffes are rarely
bothered by predators. Instead, their long legs simply
carry them out of trouble at speeds of up to 56km/h
(35mph).
Their closest relatives – the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) – are
equally odd.Their front half resembles a short, brown
giraffe.The back looks like a zebra!

Tall tales Comparisons
Thanks to their long legs and elongated necks, giraffes are
the world’s tallest mammals.The tallest-ever giraffe
No one knows for sure how many subspecies of giraffe there are, but
measured in at 6m (19.7ft), but an average is between
each animal has its own, distinct markings, like fingerprints. Reticulated
4.4m and 5.4m (14.8-18ft).Almost half of this is made up
giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) have large, polygonal liver-
of the animal’s extraordinary neck, which can be up 2.4m
coloured spots, defined by bright, white lines. Rothschild’s giraffes
(8ft) in length and weigh up to 272kg (599.6lb). Legs
(Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) tend to have deep brown blotches
account for another 2m (6.6ft) of this record-breaking
or rectangular spots.And Maasai giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis
bulk; the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs.
tippelskirchi) have jagged-edged spots of chocolate-brown on a
What is so remarkable about these great beasts is that
cream-yellow background.
these enormous necks contain only seven vertebrae.That’s
the same as in humans. Of course, each vertebrae can
measure up to 25.4cm (10in) long! Even more incredible
is that each vertebrae is bound together with ball-and-
socket joints. In humans, such joints link our arms to our
shoulders.These giants make giraffes’ necks not just long
but very flexible.
The reason for the development of such an
extraordinary physique has been the subject of much
scientific debate. Some argue that it’s an adaptation for
feeding on the tall arcacia trees that form such an
important part of the giraffes’ diet. Others believe that
long necks form part of the giraffes’ sexual display, because
males use them like clubs in the mating season to slug it
out with rivals.Whatever the reason, in each case, giraffes
with the longest necks would have more food and more
mates and so be more likely to survive to produce long-
necked offspring.
However, long necks haven’t been all good news for the
giraffe.They need a massive heart and a highly specialized
cardiovascular system just to pump blood from their body Maasai giraffe
up to their head!

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.