o a mammal of the giraffe genus of the giraffidae family, the tallest existing animal; body length 3-4 m, height at withers up to 3.7 m, height 5-6 m, weight 550-750 kg. The giraffe has a relatively small head on a disproportionately long neck, a sloping back, long legs and a tongue (up to 40-45 cm). The giraffe has only seven cervical vertebrae, like other mammals. Both males and females have small horns (sometimes two pairs) covered with black hair. There is often an additional unpaired horn in the middle of the forehead. There is no gall bladder, the cecum is very long. The forelimbs are longer than the hind limbs, the second and fifth fingers are absent. The hooves are low and wide. The fur is dense and short. The spotted coloration of giraffes from different places varies greatly. A pale yellow or brown background with dark spots is possible. Young animals are always lighter in color than older ones. At the end of the tail there is a tuft of long hair.
The most famous subspecies is the Masai giraffe, which has chocolate-brown irregular spots scattered across a yellowish background. A very beautiful subspecies of the reticulated giraffe, whose body is as if covered with a golden net. Albino giraffes are occasionally found. Exotic coloring helps the animal camouflage among trees.
Giraffes have the highest blood pressure of any mammal (three times that of humans). Compared to humans, his blood is thicker and contains twice as many blood cells. The giraffe’s heart weighs 7-8 kg and is capable of pumping blood (up to 60 liters of blood circulates in the giraffe’s body) to the brain to a height of 3.5 m. To drink water, the giraffe has to spread its front legs wide and lower its head low. With high blood pressure in this position, cerebral hemorrhage does not occur only because the giraffe has a closing valve system in the jugular vein near the brain that restricts blood flow to the head.
The giraffe lives in the savannas and dry woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. It leads a diurnal lifestyle, is capable of moving at speeds of up to 50 km/h, and can also jump over obstacles and swim well. The giraffe rarely lives alone, usually forms small herds (7-12 individuals), less often up to 50-70. The composition of the herd is so random that it rarely includes the same animals two days in a row. Old males live separately. Sometimes fights for primacy occur between males, but they are never fierce. Giraffes sometimes even form common herds with antelopes and ostriches.
Its high growth allows the giraffe to feed on leaves, flowers, and young shoots of trees from the upper tier of vegetation. A giraffe can rear up and get food from a height of up to 7 m. It feeds in the morning and in the afternoon, spending the hottest hours half asleep, chewing cud. The animal feeds mainly on young shoots and buds of umbrella acacias, mimosas, and other trees and shrubs. With its long tongue, the giraffe can tear leaves from branches covered with large spines. It is inconvenient for a giraffe to get ground plants; to do this, he needs to kneel.
There is a strict hierarchy within the giraffe herd. A lower rank cannot cross the path of a higher one; he always lowers his neck somewhat in his presence. Giraffes are peace-loving animals. Only by defending social status is it possible to clarify the relationship. Male giraffes show each other their horns and then exchange blows to the body and neck. A duel is always bloodless. The terrible blow with the front hooves, with which a giraffe can successfully repel a lion’s attack, is not used during a duel. The defeated one is never expelled from the herd, as is the case with other herd animals. The giraffe has sensitive hearing and sharp eyesight. He moves while simultaneously extending his legs, located on one side of his body. An alarmed animal goes into a gallop at a speed of up to 60 km/h, can jump over obstacles and swim. To sleep, the giraffe lies on the ground, tucking its front legs and one of its hind legs under itself. The head is placed on the other hind leg, extended to the side. Night sleep is often interrupted, the duration of complete deep sleep is 20 minutes per night.
Giraffes have a rut in July-August; males often fight for the female. The gestation period for giraffes is about 15 months. One calf is born, about 2 m tall, which is able to stand on its feet almost immediately after birth. During childbirth, members of the herd surround the expectant mother with a ring, protecting her from possible danger, and then greet the newborn by touching their noses. Lactation lasts 10 months. The giraffe becomes sexually mature at the age of three years. The giraffe has few natural enemies. Occasionally he becomes a victim of a lion, and sometimes dies while feeding, getting his head entangled in the branches. In a number of places, the giraffe was completely exterminated as a result of hunting for meat and skin and was preserved mainly in national parks.
Giraffes were kept in zoos by the ancient Egyptians 1500 BC, considering them to be the offspring of camels and leopards. The name camel oleopard (camelopardalis) has been retained as the scientific name of the species. The first giraffes appeared in European zoos at the beginning of the 20th century. They were transported across the sea on sailing ships, and across Europe on foot. Currently, giraffes are kept in every major zoo, and they reproduce well in captivity. The lifespan of giraffes is 20-30 years.
The giraffe on planet Earth has the reputation of being the tallest mammal. Do you want to know how much a giraffe weighs and how tall it is? Here are the parameters of this amazing giant:
Height - up to 5.7 m;
height from hooves to shoulder - 3.3 m;
neck 2.4 m long;
male weight is about 1900 kg;
The female weighs about 1200 kg.
The male is significantly taller than the female. This figure fluctuates in the range of 0.7-1 m. Speaking about how much a giraffe weighs, we should also say about the cubs. The parameters of the cubs are as follows: weight about 50 kg, height - about 2 m.
Giraffes have a spotted color. The color of giraffes varies in different habitats. In total, according to color, there are 9 subspecies of giraffes. Each subspecies has its own pattern. The size of the characteristic spots varies - from small to large. Variations in the color of the spots can be black or yellow. From birth, the cub has such a pattern that does not change later. The color of an animal's coat may depend on the time of year and the health of the individual.
Nature has endowed the giraffe with long and very strong limbs. Their peculiarity is that the hind legs are shorter than the front ones. The animal's neck has 7 elongated vertebrae.
By the way, we recommend reading an article about giant rabbits called “Flanders”.
Despite how much a giraffe weighs, it is a very beautiful animal.
The back of the animal has a sloping shape. The length of the thin tail ranges from 75 to 101 cm. The end of the tail is crowned with a black tassel. This circumstance allows the giraffe to successfully get rid of annoying insects. An animal's horns are bony protrusions. They are covered with wool and leather. Females have thin horns with tassels at the end. The horns of males are thick, and the fur on them is smoothed. The giraffe's forehead is decorated with a bony growth. Some may mistakenly take it for the middle horn. The giraffe's eyes are large. The color of the tongue is black. Its length is amazing. It is 45 cm. This allows giraffes to grab food from the top of the tree.
Giraffes live in Africa. Their habitat is the northern part of Botswana, the south of the Sahara to the east of the Transvaal. Unfortunately, these beautiful animals are disappearing today from many of their usual habitats (as well as many other animals - elephants, crocodiles, anacondas, etc.). An exception is the population in Niger. The authorities of the republic are making great efforts to settle giraffes here, which are brought specially from various South African reserves.
Features of the habitat.
The favorite places that giraffes choose to live, even for the African continent, are considered arid. In addition, speaking about how much a giraffe weighs, it should be taken into account that for food they need large quantities of dense thickets of acacia. Giraffes easily tolerate thirst. Males sometimes migrate towards wooded areas where there is more foliage.
Features of lifestyle.
Giraffes belong to the category of social animals. In terms of size, the average herd is about 20 individuals. One day, zoologists recorded a herd in which there were 70 giraffes. Life in the herd is free. This means that an individual, if he wishes, can move to another herd. But males most often take advantage of this opportunity. Females are socialized to a greater extent.
Giraffes eat food strictly in the morning and evening hours. Mammals sleep standing up. They can lie down, but they do so extremely rarely. When a giraffe rests, it places its head on its hind leg. The neck of the animal, at the same time, forms a picturesque arch. The eyes are half-closed during sleep, the ears twitch slightly. At the peak of the midday heat, giraffes are usually busy chewing cud.
Before mating, males participate in fights, proving their superiority to females. The fight takes place strictly between two opponents. Walking parallel to each other, the males hold their necks horizontally, intertwining them. This is how they assess the power of the future enemy. After this, they stand next to each other and begin to strike with the head and neck. These are very strong blows. If the giraffe is not knocked down, then the matter ends with serious injuries.
While running, giraffes can move at speeds from 30 to 60 km/h. At the same time, the animal can run quite an impressive distance.
In zoos, giraffes live up to 27 years. In the wild, their life lasts no more than 15 years.
Now you know how much a giraffe weighs, how tall it is and how long a giraffe lives.
http://egorium.ru/skolko-vesit-zhiraf/
Giraffes are the tallest living animals, which, combined with their bright spotted coloring and unusual body proportions, makes them absolutely recognizable.
Taxonomy
Latin name - Giraffa camelopardalis
English name - Giraffe
Order Artiodactyla (Artiodactyla)
Giraffe family (Giraffidae)
There are 9 subspecies of giraffe, the zoo contains 2 of them:
reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) - range red
South African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) - blue
Conservation status of the species
The giraffe is listed in the International Red Book as a species of least concern - IUCN(LC).
Species and man
Until the arrival of Europeans in Africa, giraffes lived in the savannas of almost the entire continent. The local population hunted them, but not actively, and everything was used: the meat was used for food, shields were made from skins, strings for musical instruments were made from tendons, and bracelets were made from tail tassels from hair. The first white settlers exterminated giraffes mainly for the sake of their skins, from which they made leather for the top of Boer carts, belts and whips. Later, during safari, rich European hunters, having fun, killed many of these magnificent animals, and only the tails with tassels served as trophies. As a result of such barbarity, the number of giraffes has almost halved over the last two centuries.
Currently, giraffes are rarely hunted, however, their numbers in central Africa continue to decline, mainly due to the destruction of natural landscapes.
The giraffe is a peace-loving animal; it gets along well with humans and is one of the symbols of the African savannah.
Long-necked animals appeared in zoos in Egypt and Rome around 1500 BC. e. The first giraffes arrived in London, Paris and Berlin in the 20s of the 19th century, and they were transported on sailing ships and walked across Europe. The animals were covered from bad weather with special raincoats, and leather sandals were put on their feet so that they would not wear off their hooves. Giraffes are now kept in almost all major zoos in the world and reproduce well in captivity.
Range and habitats
African continent. They live south of the Sahara in savannas and sparse dry forests.
Appearance, features of morphology and physiology
The appearance of the giraffe is so unique that it cannot be confused with any other animal: a relatively small head on a disproportionately long neck, a sloping back, long legs. The giraffe is the tallest living mammal: its height from the ground to the forehead reaches 4.8–5.8 m, the height at the withers is 3 m, while the length of the body is only 2.5 m! The weight of an adult male is about 800 kg, females are smaller and weigh 550–600 kg. On the forehead of both males and females there are small horns covered with hair. Usually there is one pair, but sometimes two. In the middle of the forehead, many giraffes have a small bony outgrowth that resembles an additional unpaired horn.
The coloring of animals in different parts of the range varies greatly, which served as the basis for zoologists to identify 9 subspecies. However, even within the same subspecies it is impossible to find two completely identically colored giraffes: the spotted pattern is unique, like a fingerprint. Young animals are always a little lighter than older ones. The spots scattered across the giraffe's body imitate the play of shadow and light in the tree crowns and perfectly camouflage giraffes among the trees.
At first glance, outwardly awkward, giraffes are in fact perfectly adapted to life in the savannah: they see far and hear perfectly.
Giraffes usually move at a smooth pace, ambling (first both right legs are in motion, then both left legs). Only in cases of extreme necessity do giraffes switch to an awkward, seemingly slow gallop, but they maintain such a gait for no more than 2–3 minutes. A galloping giraffe constantly nods deeply, bowing with each jump, since it can simultaneously lift both front legs off the ground, only by throwing its neck and head far back and thus shifting its center of gravity. The animal looks extremely clumsy while running, but reaches speeds of up to 50 km/h.
For a long time, the giraffe, due to its unusual body structure, presented a mystery to physiologists. The heart of this animal is 2 m above the hooves and almost 3 m below the head. This means that, on the one hand, a significant column of blood presses on the vessels of the legs, which should lead to swelling of the legs, on the other hand, significant efforts are required to lift the blood to the brain. How does the giraffe's body cope with these problems? The lower part of the animal's limbs is tightened with a thick layer of subcutaneous connective tissue, which forms a dense stocking that presses on the walls of the blood vessels from the outside. The powerful heart of a giraffe creates a pressure of 300 mm Hg. Art., which is 3 times higher than in humans. When approaching the brain, due to gravitational forces, the pressure of the bloodstream decreases, and in the giraffe’s head it is maintained at the same level as in other mammals. When the giraffe's head is raised, valves located in the jugular vein prevent blood from flowing out too quickly. When the giraffe lowers its head and the brain is 2 m below the heart, the pressure in it remains the same (90–100 mm Hg) due to the original structure of the blood vessels. Valves in the walls of the jugular vein prevent blood from returning to the brain, and a special network of elastic arteries located at the base of the skull delays it as it approaches the brain.
The giraffe's long neck creates an even greater breathing problem; they are forced to breathe more often than would be expected from such large animals: the respiratory rate of an adult giraffe at rest reaches 20 breaths per minute, while in humans it is only 12–15.
Lifestyle and social organization
Giraffes are diurnal animals. They usually feed in the morning and in the afternoon, and spend the hottest hours half asleep, standing in the shade of acacia trees. At this time, giraffes chew cud, their eyes are half-closed, but their ears are in constant motion. Giraffes get real sleep at night. Then they lie down on the ground, tucking their front legs and one of their hind legs under them, and place their head on the other hind leg, extended to the side (the extended hind leg allows the giraffe to quickly rise if danger approaches). The long neck turns out to be curved back like an arch. This sleep is often interrupted, the animals get up, then lie down again. The total duration of complete deep sleep in adult animals is amazingly small: it does not exceed 20 minutes throughout the night!
More often, giraffes are found in groups. Adult females, adolescents and young animals are united in groups, the number of which rarely exceeds 20 individuals. The composition of such associations is not constant, animals join or leave them at will, a strong connection is observed only between females and their restless babies. In open spaces, animals often form groups; when grazing in forests, they disperse.
Group sizes also depend on the season of the year. At the height of the dry season, when there is less food, giraffes disperse across the savannah in small groups, at most 4-5 individuals. On the contrary, during the rainy season, when it is easier to feed, 10–15 animals unite.
Adult males move actively, covering up to 20 km a day in search of receptive females, and are often alone. The largest male in a given territory seeks to monopolize access to females. If another male gets in his way, the dominant takes a characteristic pose with his neck stretched vertically and his front legs tense, pointed towards the opponent. If he does not think to retreat, then a duel begins, where the main weapon turns out to be the neck. The animals strike each other with loud blows with their heads, aiming them at the enemy’s belly. The defeated animal retreats, the dominant pursues the loser at a distance of several meters, and then freezes in a victorious pose with its tail raised up.
Nutrition and feeding behavior
Giraffes graze for 12–14 hours a day, preferring dawn or dusk when the heat is not so intense. They are called “pluckers” because giraffes feed on foliage, flowers, young shoots of trees and shrubs, finding food at a height of 2 to 6 meters. They bend over for grass in exceptional cases, when young shoots sprout wildly after heavy rains. No matter what part of Africa giraffes graze, they prefer acacias, diversifying their menu with another 40–60 species of woody plants. Giraffes survive severe periods of drought by eating the tough leaves of drought-resistant plants, as well as fallen leaves and dry pods of acacia trees.
Giraffes have a unique mouthparts. The lips are equipped with long hairs, from which information about the presence of spines and the degree of maturity of the leaves is sent to the brain through nerve canals. The purple tongue of the giraffe, flexible, strong and extremely mobile, reaches a length of 46 cm. When grazing, it slips past the thorns, curls into a groove, wraps around the branches with the youngest and most delicious leaves and pulls them up to the level of the upper lip. The inner edges of the lips are covered with papillae, which help the animal hold the desired plant in its mouth: the giraffe cuts it off with the incisors of the lower jaw. The giraffe pulls smooth branches through its mouth, where there is free space (diastema) between the premolars and fangs, tearing off all the leaves with its lips.
Like other ruminants, giraffes increase the digestibility of their feed by repeated chewing. In addition, they have the unique ability to chew food while on the move, which allows them to significantly increase their grazing time.
The giraffe eats relatively little for its size. Adult males consume about 66 kg of fresh greens every day, females - about 58 kg.
Since giraffes' food consists of 70% water, they do not need frequent watering, but if clean water is available, they drink it willingly. In some places, giraffes eat the soil, replenishing the lack of mineral salts in the body.
The relationship between giraffes and acacias, their main food, deserves special attention. For millions of years, there was an evolutionary “arms race” between them, during which both sides developed adaptations and counter-adaptations. On the one hand, there are sharp spines, thorns and hooks, as well as a high content of tannins - toxic substances that have a pungent taste. On the other hand, there is a virtuoso tongue, very thick saliva, special substances secreted by the liver, and the ability to recognize leaves in which the concentration of toxic substances is highest. And the black acacia, especially loved by giraffes, has even adapted to reproduce with the help of giraffes! At the end of the dry season, the acacia is covered with creamy white flowers, which cannot leave indifferent giraffes, for whom these flowers are a very attractive source of nutrients. The leaves of the black acacia are protected by sharp thorns, but the flowers are defenseless. Giraffes, eating these delicacies at a height of 4 meters, each time dust their heads and necks with pollen and spread it to dozens of trees, walking up to 20 km a day. Thus, for acacia, the loss of some flowers and buds is compensated by the spread of pollen and guaranteed pollination of the remaining flowers by giraffes.
Vocalization
For a long time it was believed that giraffes were voiceless. But in fact, they have a completely normal vocal apparatus, and they can make a whole range of different sounds. When in danger, giraffes snore, releasing air through their nostrils. Males that are excited or have grappled with an opponent emit a hoarse cough or growl. It happens that adult giraffes, having reached the height of excitement, roar loudly. Frightened cubs scream subtly and plaintively, without opening their lips.
Reproduction and raising of offspring
Giraffes do not have a specific breeding season. Adult males move from one group to another, sniffing females and determining their readiness for mating. The largest and strongest males participate in reproduction. Pregnancy in giraffes lasts more than a year (15 months), after which one calf is born; twins are extremely rare. The baby, about two meters tall and weighing 70 kg, falls at birth from a height of two meters, since the female does not lie down during childbirth. She can retire behind the trees, but does not stray far from the group. Like all ungulates, a newborn tries to stand on its legs a few minutes after birth, and half an hour later it tastes its mother’s milk. The baby giraffe develops quickly, and after a week he is already running and jumping no worse than an adult animal. At the age of two weeks, the baby begins to try plant foods, but the mother feeds him milk for a whole year. She selflessly protects the cub from lions and hyenas, but, nevertheless, about half of the giraffes become prey to predators during the first year of life.
The cubs leave their mother at about 16 months of age.
A female giraffe gives birth to her first calf when she is 5 years old. If conditions are favorable, she will produce offspring every 18 months for up to 20 years. Males begin to reproduce at an older age.
Lifespan
In captivity, giraffes live up to 25 years (the record is 28 years), in the wild - less.
Giraffes at the Moscow Zoo
On the old territory of the zoo there is the “Giraffe House”, where everyone’s favorite, Samson Hamletovich Leningradov, lives. This is the only animal in the zoo with such a full name. Samson was born in the Leningrad Zoo in 1993 (hence his surname) and came to us at the age of three. Good-natured, peace-loving, he enjoys communicating with people.
Samson's favorite food is willow leaves, which he eats from branches suspended high in the enclosure. He eats hay or grass from a feeder, which is also located at a four-meter height. Even its automatic drinking bowl is raised by 2 meters. Samson is fed 3 times a day: in the morning he receives hay, branches and about 3 kg of rolled oats. During the day, they provide succulent food: vegetables and fruits (potatoes, carrots, beets, apples, bananas), which must be cut, otherwise the animal may choke. Samson first chooses bananas, apples and carrots, but by the evening he eats everything. At night, add hay to the feeder and give branches again. The branches are placed indoors, so sometimes, when you come to the zoo in the evening, you may not see Samson in the outdoor enclosure - he has gone off to eat his favorite willow.
From late autumn until spring, about once a month, Samson is given a shower - watered with a hose. He becomes very animated - he runs around the enclosure, funnyly throwing up his long legs. In the summer, Samson washes in the rain: he likes the warm, light rain, but during a downpour he hurries to take shelter under the roof.
Samson belongs to the subspecies of reticulated giraffes, and in the New Territory of the zoo in the “Ungulates of Africa” pavilion you can see a giraffe of another, South African subspecies that came from Kenya. In summer the animal walks in the fresh air, and in winter it is kept indoors. This is a female, her daily routine is the same as Samson’s, but she was born in the wild and therefore is not so sociable (trusting) with people. She spends most of her time at her feeders, but sometimes grazes on the grass growing in the clearing. At the same time, the long-necked and long-legged animal spreads its front legs wide and crouches funny. She is very peaceful with zebras and an ostrich, her neighbors in the enclosure, and sometimes even plays with them, going for short runs.
One of the most famous and beloved animals is giraffe. It’s interesting that even those who have never seen him live love him. And it’s definitely worth looking at it at least once in your life.
This is an incredibly graceful animal, elegant and graceful. However, it seems so only at first glance. In fact, the giraffe is simply huge, because its height reaches 6 meters, this tallest animal. And such an animal weighs about a ton, and, it happens, even more. Females are generally smaller.
Of course, the unusualness of this family of giraffes lies, first of all, in its extraordinary neck. Compared to the body, it is simply incredibly long.
But meanwhile, it has only 7 cervical vertebrae, like any other animal that has a regular or even a very short neck. But the giraffe’s neck muscles are very powerful. They are capable of not only holding the head of this beast high above, but also allowing the large, heavy neck to perform any manipulation.
It is believed that no giraffes have the same pattern of spots.
This animal has a very strong and large heart, weighing 12 kg. The work of this organ is not easy, because it is necessary to pump blood to the brain and disperse it throughout the body, and since the brain is far above, it is very important for a giraffe to maintain the required pressure; in this animal it is three times higher than in an ordinary person.
With such pressure, the animal could die if the head was suddenly lowered or raised - too much overload. But nature has made the giraffe’s blood very thick and dense, and the animal’s veins are equipped with valves that control the flow of blood.
Giraffes' tongue also unusual. It is too dark in color and can protrude almost half a meter. The animal needs this in order to cling to tree branches that grow especially high.
On the head there are large eyes with thick eyelashes; giraffes have excellent vision. He is able to spot other giraffes at a distance of a kilometer. The ears are not large, although the hearing is excellent.
The giraffe's tongue has an unusual color
There is also no need to complain about the sense of smell; it is well developed in the giraffe. On the head there are horns covered with hair. Sometimes you can find a giraffe with two pairs of horns. And some individuals also have a horn - in the middle of the forehead, although, in reality, this is a bone growth that is not a horn.
The legs of these animals are long and thin. Because they have to carry so much weight, giraffes can only move on hard, dense surfaces.
Therefore, giraffes cannot tolerate swamps, and even more so rivers. They prefer to move slowly, smoothly, without sudden movements. However, there is no need to think about This animal, as about a lump. Giraffe if necessary, he is able to run at a speed of 55 km/h and make jumps in height of more than 1.8 meters.
The strong body of the animal is covered with uniform, short hair, which has a unique color. On a lighter background there are spots of various shapes and in a chaotic order. The shape and location of the spots are individual, just like fingerprints on a person’s hand.
Giraffes sleep in this position
But all giraffes do not have spots on their bellies. These amazing creatures live only in Africa. They are especially comfortable in the savannas, which are located in the south and east, below the Sahara.
However, at least real animal world giraffe and comfortable for its residence, the number is constantly falling. To preserve the population, special reserves, reserves, and protected areas are created to protect the peace of these animals, allowing them to reproduce and live a long life in natural conditions.
But giraffe such animal, which people want to see live, and not just on the picture. Therefore, many zoos have these magnificent animals. In captivity, individuals reproduce very well, quickly get used to new conditions and live without feeling any discomfort.
Character and lifestyle of the giraffe
Giraffes rarely live alone. Most often they gather in small groups that can hardly be called herds. Females, for example, can gather in groups of 4 to 30 heads. At the same time, the composition of the group can constantly change.
Giraffes can gather in large herds and small groups
And even in such groups they are not too attached to each other. It is enough for an animal to know that its brothers are grazing next to it, and it is not at all necessary to contact them.
In addition, these giants have few enemies, so there is no need to unite into a strong, reliable herd. Although, when moving in search of food, giraffes can join other herds, for example.
In such herds, it is easier for mothers to defend themselves from or, which rarely attack adult animals, but hunt babies. But after the right place is found, the proud people leave their companions - antelopes.
There are no leaders or leaders in groups, but older animals still enjoy special authority. Fights also occur when two strong, adult males meet.
The photo shows male giraffes fighting
Their fights involve headbutting the opponent's neck. Usually, great cruelty is not observed, but during the mating season, males become more aggressive.
But even then they do not use kicks, which are considered the most dangerous and are used only when defending against predators. It is known that such a blow can easily split the opponent's skull.
But giraffes are peaceful towards their fellow creatures. In addition, a male who has been defeated can calmly remain in the herd further; no one expels him, as other animals do.
It is believed that giraffes do not make sounds at all. This is not true. These animals have a voice, but it is much lower than the frequencies that the human ear can distinguish.
Giraffes have another amazing property - they sleep less than any other animal. They don't sleep more than two hours a day, and that's enough for them. They can sleep standing up, or they can lie down with their head on their torso.
Nutrition
Giraffe artiodactyl, exclusively herbivore. They are ruminants, the same as, and chew their food several times, because they have a four-chambered stomach.
The main diet of the animal is leaves of trees and shrubs. Most of all, gourmets prefer acacia. Males choose the highest branches, while they stretch their necks even more and seem even more majestic.
Females do not strive to visually increase their height; they are content with the vegetation that is located at the level of their body. The animals immediately grab the entire branch with their tongue and pull it into their mouth, stripping off all the leaves. In order to feed themselves, giraffes eat up to 20 hours a day, because they need at least 30 kg.
The food they eat is so rich in juices that giraffes have very little need for water. For weeks, or even months, this large animal can go without drinking. When a giraffe drinks, it can drink about 40 liters at once.
There is no such amount of water at the top, so when drinking, the animal is forced to bend its neck very low and spread its front legs wide apart. This is the most uncomfortable and vulnerable position; it is in this position that the giraffe is clumsy and clumsy.
To get drunk, the giraffe has to take the most vulnerable pose
Therefore, he starts drinking only in full confidence that there is no danger nearby. By the way, this is why giraffes do not like to nibble grass.
Reproduction and lifespan
The mating season and mating itself falls during the rainy season. But the birth itself most often occurs from May to August, that is, during the months of drought. Pregnancy for a female giraffe lasts more than a year - 457 days, but the baby is born already about 2 meters tall. The female brings one cub, rarely, but twins can also be born.
Within 15 minutes after birth, the baby rises to its feet and begins to feed on mother's milk. At this time, they are completely defenseless, so they are forced to hide throughout the first week after birth.
Interestingly, after 3-4 weeks of birth, giraffes begin to separate from their calves, leaving them in the care of other adult females. The mother can go 200 meters from the herd and return only in the evening to feed the baby.
This continues until the cubs are able to accompany the mother. The babies grow up quickly, but will be with the female for 12-16 months. True, young males separate from their mother at 12-14 months of age.
They begin to live alone until they become strong, sexually mature males. And sexual maturity in males occurs at 4-5 years. However, giraffes begin to mate only after they are 7 years old.
Females, most often, remain in the herd. They become sexually mature at 3-4 years, however, they do not rush to become mothers for at least a year. These interesting animals live in the wild for up to 25 years. Even in captivity, in specially created conditions, under the supervision of veterinarians, the life expectancy of these beauties did not exceed a record 28 years.
The giraffe is a mammal that belongs to the order Artiodactyla, family Giraffidae. Latin name Giraffa camelopardalis. Of the hired animal species, it is the tallest. There are several types of giraffes that live in different places and climatic zones, which determines how much a giraffe weighs and its color.
The height of giraffes reaches up to 5.7 m, of which 3.3 m is from the body to the shoulders, 2.4 m is from the neck to the horns. Males are larger than females, which are smaller on average by 1 m. Males weigh 1500-1900 kg, females - up to 1200. A newborn cub weighs 50-55 kg, height is 2 m. Life expectancy - 25 years in a zoo, 10-15 years in the wild.
Due to high growth, the load on the heart muscle and vascular system of the animal increases. Giraffes have a strong heart, reaching a weight of up to 12 kg. In 1 minute it is capable of moving up to 60 liters of blood, the pressure on the walls of blood vessels is 3 times higher than the human norm.
They have thick skin covered with a coat of short hairs. Lengthening of the fur is noticeable only on the mane, back, forehead and tail brush. The main color is little noticeable, most of the body is covered with spots. The coloring of the coat is different for each species, depending on the area. The spots vary in size, color, location on the body, and number. Shades of spots range from yellow to black. The coat pattern obtained during intrauterine development remains unchanged throughout life. Small spots on the long neck and legs, absent on the ventral abdomen and inner legs.
The giraffe's legs are thin but strong, the front ones are longer than the back ones. The long neck also consists of 7 cervical vertebrae, the size of which is longer than usual. The back is sloping, ending in a thin long tail 100 cm. The tip of the tail in the shape of a brush is a necessary device for protection against insects. On the head there are 2 horns of 15 cm each with tassels at the end. They are formed from bone tissue covered with skin and hair; in females they are thinner than in males. Another bony growth is located in the middle of the forehead, which is not a horn.
The tongue of giraffes is black, large and long, which helps with feeding, and the muzzle is long and elongated. Reaches a length of up to 45 cm - this is necessary for obtaining food. The giraffe feeds on leaves from trees, which it grabs from the upper branches using its tongue.
Types of giraffes
Only with the help of genetic analysis of almost 200 giraffes from different groups was it possible to establish that there are 4 separate species of these mammals. Previously it was believed that there was 1 species and 9 different subspecies. The variety depends on the location; the main habitat is Africa. Each region has a specific subspecies, there are 9 subspecies in total.
- Nubian giraffe. The habitat is in eastern Sudan and western Ethiopia. The coat color is dark, with brown spots edged with white lines. Large bony growth on the forehead.
- Rothschild's giraffe or Ugandan giraffe lives in Uganda. It has large brown spots with white stripes between them.
- Somali or reticulated giraffe. Habitat: northern Kenya and southern Somalia. This subspecies is distinguished by its beautiful color, with bright brown-red spots of medium size. Each spot ends in a sharp white edge. The bone growth in females is completely absent.
- The Angolan giraffe inhabits the countries of Namibia and Botswana. The wool is colored with large elongated spots. The origin of this subspecies occurred in Angola, but now the population in the country has been destroyed.
- Kordofan giraffe from the western regions of Sudan and Central Africa. A special feature is the unevenly located spots, which are more numerous in the lower part of the legs and joints.
- The Masai giraffe is a species that has dark spots only on its legs and has an unusual star-like shape.
- South African giraffe from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. The coat color is golden in color, with dark round spots.
- Thorneycroft's giraffe - lives in Zambia. The coat is light in color with dark spots of irregular shape with sharp corners.
- The West African giraffe is a small subspecies that is protected from extinction. All surviving individuals number 175 giraffes, living only in the state of Chad.
The height of each giraffe subspecies differs slightly from the others.
Previously, varieties were taken as independent species. This was led by the facts of the sharp difference in the spots and growth of giraffes. Different color patterns exist even among the same subspecies and family. There is a theory that suggests the existence of giraffes with uniform coat color without spots.
Where do giraffes live?
Giraffes as a separate species appeared in Central Asia, then spread to the countries of Africa and Europe. The distribution range of giraffes is from 5 to 654 km² and depends on the source of water and food. The permanent habitat of giraffes is the African continent.
Territorially distributed from the southern lands of the Sahara Desert to the eastern Transvaal and northern Botswana. Animals used to live in West Africa, but all species have disappeared. In this part, giraffes live in the Niger Republic thanks to the restored population from artificial reserves.
An arid climate is satisfactory for this group of mammals. Populations are found in savannas, grasslands and sparse forests. For the place where the herd is formed, areas with a large number of acacias suitable for their feeding are selected. Giraffes are not very dependent on the source of water, since they drink little. Males leave the herd in search of deciduous habitats.
Now favorable conditions are being created for giraffes in nature reserves in Australia, Europe, Asia, and America.
Nutrition and lifestyle
Giraffes lead a social lifestyle and live in large open herds. In one herd there are on average 10-20 individuals, the maximum recorded number of inhabitants reached 70 animals. A giraffe can join or leave the herd voluntarily, at its own discretion. These mammals are considered to be very fast, reaching speeds of up to 60 km per hour and covering long distances.
Giraffes rest at night in a standing position, taking a certain pose. The animal lowers its head onto its hind leg, and its neck takes the shape of a small arch. The supine position during sleep is rarely accepted. The eyes are not completely closed, slightly open, the ears twitch normally. They have the minimum need for sleep duration of all mammals - about 2 hours per day.
To establish their superiority in the pack, fights are organized. Adult males participate in the fight. Sparring begins with walking next to each other, horizontal necks pointing forward. Then the necks are intertwined, the heads are leaned close to each other - this is necessary to assess the strength of the enemy. After the assessment, a blow to the neck and head is applied. The impact is severe and some giraffes are knocked down and severely injured.
Giraffes are ruminant mammals with a four-chambered stomach and feed on plant matter. Most of the day - up to 20 o'clock - is spent eating. The main diet consists of the following products:
- tree leaves;
- flowers;
- seeds;
- fruits.
They obtain minerals from the soil of the savannah. Among the trees that are used are the leaves of acacia senegalese, mimosa pudica, combretum parviflora, and apricots. During long journeys, they can remain for a long time without eating, replacing it with chewing gum. Preference is given to acacia leaves. To tear off leaves, the giraffe pulls up and bends a tree branch, grabbing it with its mouth, and tears off the leaves with its lips. The presence of thorns does not prevent acacia from being eaten; the giraffe's molars are capable of grinding them in the process of absorption along with the leaves. Females are selective in choosing trees; they prefer high-calorie leaves, obtaining them from the lower branches.
An adult animal consumes 65 kg of food per day. In a critical situation during drought, a giraffe needs to reduce its diet to 7 kg of food per day to survive. They can consume up to 35 liters of liquid at one time.
Reproduction
This species is polygamous. During the mating season, the male begins to court the female. It starts with analyzing the smell of urine. After assessing the female, the male rubs his head against her rump, then lays his head on his back. The next stage of courtship is licking the tail of the chosen one. The male then throws his front paw over her back. If the female has responded positively to the courtship, she raises her tail to mate. During the rainy season, offspring are conceived. Gestation lasts 450 days on average.
Females give birth during the dry season from May to August. Giraffes reproduce every 20-30 months. Delivery begins in a standing position or while moving. A baby giraffe is called a calf and is born 2 m tall. After 15 minutes, the newborn baby is already sucking mother's milk and gradually stands on its feet. At first, for 7-10 days, the foal hides during the day and at night. The close stay of a female cub with its mother lasts up to 12-16 months. Males stay with their mother for 2 months less. Sexual maturity occurs in males at 4-5 years of age; they begin to reproduce at 7 years of age upon reaching sexual maturity. Young females mature earlier - at 3-4 years, but begin to reproduce later.
At birth, a giraffe does not have horns, instead there is only cartilage. As the calf grows, the cartilage ossifies, taking the shape of horns. The black fur covering the forehead also disappears.
In a herd, females are social. They organize collective supervision of their common cubs. After the foal is weaned from its mother after 4 weeks, one female looks after the cubs of the entire herd during the day, which is periodically replaced. The remaining females are free and can travel long distances, and all children remain under supervision and protection from wild animals. The cubs return at night to feed.
Role in the ecosystem
Giraffes are of great importance in the planet's ecosystem. Many species are protected by conservation organizations. Interaction also occurs with other animals and birds. Buff starlings have mutually beneficial relationships with large mammals. They clean the back and neck of giraffes from ticks and insects with their beaks. At the same time, the birds receive the necessary nutrients.
Relationships with humans are not vital to animal populations. Giraffes in nature reserves and zoos, with the necessary care, live longer than in the wild. Poachers hunted giraffes for their meat, skin, and tails. Household items were made from the skin: whips, reins, belts, upholstery. The ancient Greeks and Romans staged displays of these animals in the Colosseums to entertain the public. The population of these mammals is protected in eastern and southern Africa, but has declined in the western regions of the continent. The total number of subspecies is 150 thousand individuals.
Giraffes are threatened by wild animals and poachers. On land they are hunted by lions, leopards, and hyenas. Near bodies of water during watering hours they are defenseless from attacks by crocodiles. Only large adult individuals are capable of defending themselves; young ones are often attacked. Its impressive size can scare away predators. The hooves of the front legs can deliver heavy blows, which is the self-defense of giraffes. One strong blow can break the skull bone of a not very large animal.
Giraffes are inhabitants of zoos. Proper living conditions benefit animals and prolong their lifespan.
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