Who are giraffe predators7/21/2023 ![]() The characteristic pattern of dark patches on a lighter background – slightly different for each species – probably serves a thermoregulatory function, as the darker patches are rich in large sweat glands. “Camelopard” is an archaic English name for the giraffe, derived from Greek and referring to the giraffe’s physical similarity to a camel and the spotted, leopard-like colouration (from pardus, meaning “spotted” or “mottled”). Until recently, all giraffes were considered one species (more on this later): Giraffa camelopardalis. ![]() The common name “giraffe” comes from the Arabic word zarāfah, meaning “fast-walker”, but it is the scientific name that is particularly entertaining. Loose aggregations or solitary (with evidence of longer-lasting bonds) A picture-perfect journey of giraffes Quick facts Height: While we are far from knowing everything there is to know, recent scientific discoveries around their complex physiology and behaviours are endlessly fascinating. Giraffes are possibly one of the most intriguing animals on safari. Worse, it is only in the last decade that the reality of their “silent extinction” has made it into the public eye. They are perhaps one of the most under-studied large mammals in Africa, and scientists are only now beginning to unravel the secrets of their social lives and communication. ![]() Yet despite their rather significant stature, these quiet and unassuming herbivores spent much of the 20 th century flying under the conservation and ethological radar. Their leggy silhouettes have appeared in some of the most iconic images of the continent, hordes of tourists have marvelled at their outlandish shapes, and cartoon representations abound. In the knowĪs the tallest animal on Earth, giraffes do not exactly keep a low profile and probably need little by way of introduction. And perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than the giraffe, one of Africa’s most fantastical offerings. The peculiar, unique creatures on the planet have been shaped by innumerable overlapping conditions never again to be repeated – every living thing is the product of circumstance. Predators have been equipped with offensive weaponry, and prey species are similarly prepared to defend themselves in an eternal evolutionary arms race. Threats: Traditional hunting, poaching for the tourist trade and habitat loss have contributed to the declining numbers and, in some cases, the complete extinction of Giraffe from some areas of their former range.Millennia of evolutionary problem-solving have conferred upon animals a weird and wonderful array of adaptations from trunks to tails and patterned coats to thick fur. Lions, Spotted Hyaenas and leopards are the natural predators of young Giraffe. Newborns are kept away from the main herd by the mother for the first 10–30 days and weaning takes place by 13 months. These bulls compete with each other by swaying and curling necks. In the wild: Female Giraffe, or ‘cows’, mate with local dominant males, ‘bulls’. They also eat shoots, fruit and other vegetation. Because of their long necks they are able to eat the leaves from taller trees such as acacia and wild apricot which gives them an advantage over other herbivores. The Giraffe can have up to five blunt, short horns called ‘ossicones’.ĭiet: Giraffe are herbivores. Giraffes have a thick spotted coat and a long tail which is useful for brushing away flies. They have a long, strong tongue which is used to pull leaves from branches and is about 45 cm long. Description: The Giraffe is the tallest land animal on earth with a long neck that contains only seven vertebrae (just like humans!).
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