Page 43 - World of Animals - Issue #31

Giraffes: standing tall

The height of Ossicones

Male and female giraffes both
sophistication grow horn-like ossicones that
are made of hardened cartilage
and covered in tu y skin.

Living in the savannah requires
unique adaptations, some of
which might not be as obvious
as their striking necks

Necking
Male giraffes fight for the right to Tongue
mate and assert their dominance by Nostrils Giraffes have black or purple
‘necking’, which involves swinging If the weather kicks up tongues; the dark colour is
their heads and necks at each other. a dust storm, giraffes likely to protect them from
can voluntarily close suffering from sunburn.
their nostrils to protect
themselves from
Bending down unwanted intrusions.
Giraffes may have long necks but Fur
they’re still not quite long enough No two giraffes have the
to reach the ground without some same pattern of patches
rather ungraceful leg splaying.
on their fur. It is as unique
as a fingerprint and makes
individuals easy to identify.

Standing Kicking
Giraffe calves are able to If it feels threatened, a giraffe
stand up within an hour will kick out with its back legs
of being born and adult with enough force to seriously
giraffes spend the rest injure or even kill a lion.
of their lives standing.

The evolution
of the giraffe

Inherited traits
Natural selection A er many generations, there
Early giraffes show variations in neck are still variations in height
length and in this environment longer but the group demonstrates a
necks are an advantage, so they are general increase in neck length.
favoured by natural selection. This This process continues until the
long-necked characteristic is passed necks are as long as those of
down to descendants. modern day giraffes.

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