What do we know about the giraffe? Of course, this is the highest living creature on the planet. If desired, he could look into your windows located on the second floor. The giraffe is a mammal herbivore from the order of artiodactyls, very hardy and strong. In the wild, he has only one enemy - the lion. Cooperation with the other brothers is observed, or armed neutrality, as, for example, with elephants. The giraffe has very good eyesight, which is not surprising - with such and such growth. And now for the details.
African giant
There were times when these tall giants lived in the vastness of Europe and Asia. But this is all in the past. Today, the population of giraffes is rapidly declining, and they remained on only one continent - African. But even there, the distribution area of the giraffe is becoming smaller. Of course, they are trying to protect him, but too many people who want to take a selfie with the carcass of an animal killed on a safari are really cool. Therefore, it is possible that our closest descendants will be able to learn about the giraffe only from old videos or see it in pictures and photos.
According to researchers, the kind of giraffe that we are familiar with formed about two million years ago. That is, in comparison with this giant, a person has just begun to live. If your height is about two meters, then this tall handsome you will be just on the shoulder. The giraffe is far from being well studied, like many other representatives of the fauna: in his life there are secrets that have yet to be solved.
Giraffe Secrets
We know a lot about this animal. For example, what is his height and language, as well as weight and preferences in food. But we can not yet answer with sufficient certainty to the question: "Why is the giraffe so arranged?" That is, the usual explanation that sends out an interested in the process of long evolution, scientists have. But that’s almost all. Let's move on to the facts.
The weight of an adult sexually mature male is from one to two tons. Females are almost two times lighter. Of all this mass, about 250 kg is the neck, and the heart muscle, whose contractions are about 170 beats per minute, weighs 10 kg. It is surprising that, with a clear disproportionality of the body structure, the giraffe does not faint when it raises its head sharply. However, this is due to the specific structure of its vascular system.
Nevertheless, you must admit that a giraffe is an animal that is not too harmonious in terms of correspondence between the lower and upper parts of the body. But this is only at first glance.
Dangerous neighbors
We can say that a giraffe is a species perfectly adapted for life in the desert, since its color allows the animal to merge with the landscape. Moreover, 9 types of color combinations are known, varying depending on the territory of this giant.
But who is the giraffe trying to avoid with its massive weight and cloven hooves on strong legs, whose length, by the way, reaches 180 cm? Are there many who wish to enter into a dispute with him in the desert or on the expanses of the savannah?
In fact, there is only one danger for this six-meter giant - the lion, and even then only if he hunts with the pride. Alone, it can end sadly for the king of beasts. The fact is that the most important weapon of a giraffe is the legs. Their blow is practically fatal, and the lions know about it. Therefore, the hunt for a giraffe begins only collectively and only when common sense is blocked by a feeling of hunger.
In speed, an animal with a long neck lions loses, because it runs about 56 km per hour, and the king of animals can reach 80 km, but only for short distances. And the giraffe is a styer, so if the lion does not have time to overtake him in the first minutes of the pursuit, then the chase is useless.
Safety precautions
Giraffe has something to fear. Firstly, due to growth, it is vulnerable in the event of a thunderstorm, as an object for a lightning strike. Secondly, as we know, there are lions. Thirdly, the high slopes for a giraffe are a serious obstacle. He may lose his balance, and then this "high tower" will collapse. It is known that only two living things can fall at risk for life - this is a giraffe and a person.
Therefore, before this tall handsome man decides to climb a high slope, he will first be interested in having a safer and more gentle path.
The giraffe’s lifestyle is traditional for animals living in places where rains are the rarest and water is the greatest gem. They move from place to place in search of food, like all herbivores. Other animals try to stay close to them, whose neck is not so long, and, therefore, the overview of the territory is less extensive. Thanks to its growth, the giraffe is the first to detect danger and begins to withdraw, while the rest, looking at it, also take precautions.
By the way, how many vertebrae do you think have in the neck of a giraffe? You will be surprised, but there are as many as you have seven. This is the case when size matters.
Giraffe Cubs
Female giraffe bears a baby 15 months. When the time comes, the baby is born, falling from a height of about two meters, as the mother produces it while standing. An hour later, the calf already rises to its feet and begins to explore this world. Newborn babies have a weight of about 50 kg, a height of about 1, 8 m and small horns.
The adaptation period does not last long - about two weeks, and then the mother introduces the baby to the herd. Under the protection of the female giraffe, the cub is as long as the gestation period lasted - 15 or 16 months. All this time, the baby gains weight and height, so that by the age of four he becomes sexually mature, and by the age of six reaches fullness of growth. It should be noted that infant mortality is quite high, and only about 50% of babies survive.
For the safety of mothers are organized in a kind of kindergartens. This means that when the young are always one of the mothers, and the rest at this time are engaged in the extraction of food.
The difference between how long a giraffe lives in the wild and how much in the conditions of reserves is quite significant - 10 years. Normally, in natural conditions, the average animal lives only a quarter century (25 years).
Habitat
Numerous archaeological finds suggest that a giraffe-like animal (as described) was common in the Nile River Delta. However, even in the era of Ancient Egypt, this population was destroyed.
Today the habitat of giraffes in Africa. However, they do not live compactly on this continent, but are scattered throughout it. And a certain territory is home to one of nine subspecies, each of which differs from the others in the wool pattern. This happened because the environment required maximum adaptation to its landscape and conditions.
For example, an Angolan giraffe has the palest color of its coat, since it is almost identical to the color of desert sand. It should be noted that these tall animals can do without water for quite a long time, but this is a difficult test for them. Unbearable heat in the desert during the day, and at night the temperature can drop to 0 degrees. However, there is a positive point in this: the formation of night fog ends with the dew, which settles on the leaves of a few vegetation. This is what giraffes make up for the lack of fluid by licking drops.
So, moving from tree to tree, animals can reach the nearest body of water.
Armed neutrality
Among the inhabitants of the desert, the giraffe is not the largest animal. The competition for this is elephants. They also feed on vegetation, and therefore compete with giraffes for tasty places and ponds. These two giants do not directly attack each other, but the elephants do not miss the opportunity to demonstrate their strength. However, the giraffe is not being led to these stupid games, especially if it happens near a watering hole. The tall handsome man will just patiently wait until the elephants get drunk and free up space.
Then an acrobatic study begins: how many vertebrae are in the neck of a giraffe, so much it should lower them to the surface of the reservoir. This cannot be done without legs. And in this position, the long-necked animal looks like a pedestal with legs spaced at an angle of 45 degrees.
A giraffe can tilt his head for only a minute, but he has enough of this time to draw in a few liters of water. Then there is a sharp rise, but the valves in its veins prevent the possibility of loss of balance. This happens several times until the body of the animal makes up for the weeks-long loss of fluid. Next, the giraffe goes in search of food.
About the benefits of language
Areas of Africa are not paradise gardens with fruit strewn with branches. If vegetation exists here, then it in every way protects itself, for example, with long thorns. These are the different types of acacia whose leaves the giraffe eats. How is he protected from long needles? Firstly, his eyelashes perfectly protect the eyes from danger. And secondly, the tongue of a giraffe, whose length is up to half a meter, is adapted for reaching leaves, penetrating through acacia spikes.
The structure and color of this important organ deserves a special description. In addition, with its help, a giraffe can not only get food, but also destroy annoying insects, which are plentiful in the savannah. The color of the tongue varies from purple to black, and it is quite muscular.
Giraffes can get enough of six kilograms of various kinds of vegetation, but in fact they eat much more. Almost their entire working day, ranging from 16 to 20 hours, is devoted to obtaining food.
Girls and boys
An inexperienced observer will find it completely impossible to distinguish between a giraffe-boy and a girl. Meanwhile, it’s quite simple to do: look at how they eat.
Females gently pick leaves that are no higher than their body level. And the males try to reach the desired vegetation, located on the highest point of the tree. However, this does not apply to cases where what the giraffe eats, such as a cactus, has a height below their height. The thorns of this plant do not scare animals at all, because their stomach can digest anything.
By the way, unlike lions with their clear hierarchy in the pride, giraffes can be called democrats. Both males and females are in the herd, without any sign of organization or gender discrimination. And one more thing: a stranger can join the team and be accepted.
Way of communication
Researchers have long been trying to understand the principle by which communication between giraffes is built. It is noted that these animals rarely make any sounds, however, babies can moo or bleat, and males growl during the struggle for the female. In addition, giraffes can snore, make moans, hiss, and even mimic flute sounds.
Communication of these animals is completely impossible to eavesdrop on a person, since the frequency of the emitted sounds is below 20 Hz. Therefore, scientists use special sensors, with the help of which it is possible to form at least some idea of the conversations of giraffes among themselves. By the way, they prefer to talk at night.
How do they rest
Looking at these tall animals, one involuntarily asks the question: "How do they manage to sleep?" We can say that they do it in different ways. If you want to take a nap, the giraffe turns off for 5 minutes, without changing the position of the body.
If you need a long rest, then special preparations follow: the giraffe lays on the ground, then squeezes its long legs. He lays his neck on one side, and bends his head so that it is on the sacrum. Here in such an intricate pose he sleeps. Moreover, the giraffe cannot be called sleepyheads, since its sleep lasts about an hour a day.
Procreation
Sexually mature females, as a rule, do not leave the herd, which cannot be said about adult males, which can set off in a single "swimming". However, the time comes "X", and the males tend to where there are girls in order to have offspring.
But not everything is so simple: first you need to go through a casting, show what you are capable of, and only then …
So, to the question of the neck of a giraffe: there is a theory according to which the instance with the longest neck defeated the males. In reality, giraffes inflict very sensitive blows to an opponent with this part of the body. It comes to death.
And they use an insidious trick: with the help of the neck they capture the opponent’s leg so that he stays on three, loses his balance, falls, and the winner gets everything.
