Giraffe tongues are huge! When fighting, male giraffes will push and shove against each other. This occasionally escalates into powerful blows delivered by their muscular necks. The loser can be knocked out, and sometimes even killed. A giraffe heart can weigh approximately 11kg, making it the biggest of any land mammal. It can pump 60 litres of blood around its body every minute at a blood pressure twice that of an average human.
Find out more about the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Home Animal Facts Mammals Giraffe guide: species facts, lifespan and habitat.
More related content: Giraffes are not one species, but four, according to a new study Why are giant pandas black and white? Giraffes under a tree, silhouetted against the sunset in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Giraffe drinking from a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia. A giraffe showing off its tongue — perfect for picking the leaves from acacia trees! Reticulated giraffes have some of the most distinctive patterns, with big, bold brown patches interlaced by a complex web of white lines.
What a tragedy it would be if we lost this funny giraffe face forever! Two giraffes and four zebras at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Okapi — a relative of the giraffe Okapi are the only living relative of the giraffe. Giraffe hooves in South Africa. How does a giraffe swim? Their elegant stride, outrageous eyelashes, and calm expression give them an air of refinement.
Blending right in: In a zoo, giraffes stand out. But think of giraffes' presence in their African habitat, where their coat patterns actually serve as camouflage, blending with shadows and leaves. Giraffes are well adapted for living on the open, tree-dotted African plains. While other African herbivores compete for grass and small plants to eat, giraffes have the high branches with tender, young leaves all to themselves. It takes a lot of leaves to fuel such large creatures.
Giraffes may eat up to 75 pounds 34 kilograms of food per day. They spend most of their day eating, because they get just a few leaves in each bite. Their favorite leaves are from acacia trees. These trees have long thorns that keep most wildlife from eating them.
But those thorns don't stop the giraffes! They simply use their inch centimeter tongue and prehensile lips to reach around the thorns. It is thought that the dark color of their tongue protects them from getting sunburned while reaching for leaves. Giraffes also have thick, sticky saliva that coats any thorns they might swallow. Giraffes are ruminants and have a stomach with four compartments that digests the leaves they eat. When giraffes aren't eating, they're chewing their cud. After giraffes swallow the leaves the first time, a ball of leaves travels all the way back up the throat into the mouth for more grinding.
Acacia leaves contain a lot of water, so giraffes can go a long time without drinking. When they do get thirsty, giraffes have to bend a long way down to drink from a lake or stream. When they're bent over, it is easier for a predator, like a crocodile, to grab hold of the giraffe. So, giraffes go to a watering hole together and take turns watching for predators. If water is easily available, they can drink 10 gallons 38 liters a day. The Angolan giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis lives in the north of Namibia.
It also dwells in the southwest of Botswana and Zambia, as well as western Zimbabwe. Some inhabit protected areas such as the Etosha National Park in Namibia. Its population in the is less than 20, individuals, while in captivity only about 20 are preserved. Its existence in Sudan is uncertain. In the wild, some estimations show that there are only about still alive and in zoos more than , an alarming number.
The Rhodesian giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti has a very limited distribution, since it only inhabits east Zambia, specifically in the valley of Luangwa, where the landscape has abundant vegetation and a high biodiversity of fauna and flora. Less than 1, survive in the wild, and there are no confirmed records of Rhodesian giraffes in zoos. Giraffes seem to adapt quite well to a variety of environments as long as they meet their basic needs, that is the reason they are so common in zoos.
Giraffe in their natural habitat. Diet and Nutrition Giraffes are herbivorous folivorous with their diet, mainly consisting of acacia trees. Diet Herbivore, Folivore. Population Trend. Vulnerable VU. Population number The overall number of giraffe population is recently estimated to be about 97, individuals and is presently decreasing. Fun Facts for Kids Giraffes sleep from 10 minutes to 2 hours a day, which is one of the shortest sleeping requirements among mammals. They rest, standing or lying with open eyes for minutes per one time.
The heart of this animal is about 61 cms 2 ft long and weighs up to 10 Kgs 22 lbs. To keep blood flow to the brain, the heart of a giraffe has to generate twice as much blood pressure as for an average large mammal. These animals are generally silent; however, they frequently emit moo sound when in distress.
In addition, they give out snorting, bellowing, or grunting sounds when alarmed or encountering a lion. They usually drink water in pairs, stooping down to the water's surface: while one of them drinks, the other one is able to watch after predators. In order to drink, the giraffe has to spread its front legs apart at an angle of about 45 degrees and lower its head, reaching ground level. This is truly a challenging task for this animal!
Giraffes see in color and their senses of hearing and smell are also sharp. These animals can also close their muscular nostrils to protect against sandstorms and ants. The giraffe's prehensile tongue is about 45 cm 18 in long.
It is purplish-black in color, perhaps to protect against sunburn, and is useful for grasping foliage, as well as for grooming and cleaning the animal's nose. The upper lip of the giraffe is also prehensile and useful when foraging, and is covered in hair to protect against thorns. References 1. Threatened Species of Chad. Threatened Species of Niger.
0コメント