5 Fascinating Facts about Giraffe
Giraffes, with thier towering heights and distinctively patterned coats, are truly extraordinary creatures and arguably some of the most iconic animals of the African savannah. These majestic mammals captivate the imagination of people worldwide. However, there’s much more to these gentle giants than meets the eye.
Whether you’re a wildlife enthusiast or simply curious about these gentle giants, read on to discover more about the fascinating world of giraffes.
Giraffe Have the Same Number of Neck Vertebrae as Humans
While it’s common knowledge that giraffes possess incredibly long necks, what many don’t know is that they have the same number of neck vertebrae as humans - just seven. Each of these vertebrae is greatly elongated, reaching over 10 inches in length, which contributes to their iconic extended necks. This unique feature not only allows giraffes to reach high branches but also plays a crucial role in their thermoregulation and visibility over tall grasses for predators.
Their long necks give the giraffes a significant advantage in spotting predators from a distance over the tall grasses of the savannah, providing them with crucial extra seconds to aid in their escape.
The length and flexibility of the neck is also instrumental during intra-species interactions, particularly in males. who use their necks as weapons in combat, a behaviour known as “necking”. During these fights, males swing their necks to deliver powerful blows with their heads to the bodies of their opponents. The force of these hits can be quite powerful, and the structure of their vertebrae needs to withstand these impacts. Moreover, the long neck also plays a crucial role in the heat regulation. helping to dissipate body heat across a larger surface area that is well exposed to air and breezes, which is essential in the hot, arid environments giraffes often inhabit. This combination of defensive mechanism, survival strategy and physical adaptations highlights the giraffes’s neck as a key evolutionary feature.
Sky-High Blood Pressure
To maintain adequate blood flow to the brain, which is quite a distance from the heart due to their long necks, giraffes have evolved to have extraordinarily high blood pressure. If fact, their blood pressure is about twice that of an average human being, ensuring that oxygen-rich blood can ascend all the way up to their lofty heads.
This adaptation is crucial given the giraffes height and the gravitational challenges it poses. The giraffes cariovascular system includes a uniquely strong and large heart, which can weigh up to 25 pounds and is powerful enough to pump blood up to the brain against gravity.
Moreover, giraffes have a complex pressure regulation system that prevents excessive blood flow to the brain when they lower their heads to drink water. Specialised valves in their jugular veins and a network of blood vessels called the rete mirabile work together to manage the pressure and ensure that the blood supply does not damage the brain. This intricate system is a fantastic example of evolutionary design, allowing these animals to manage dramatic changes in blood pressure on a daily basis without harm. This high blood pressure system, combined with their cardiovascular adaptations, demonstates the giraffes’s remarkable evolutionary adjustments to their unique physical stature.
Their coats are as unique as a fingerprint.
Every giraffe boasts a coat pattern that is as unique as a human fingerprint. These distinctive patterns are not only striking but also serve crucial survival functions. The varied patches help giraffes blend seamlessly into their natural habitat, providing camouflage amoung the dappled light and shade of the savannah. This is vital for evading predators like lions, which rely on spotting their prey from a distance.
Additionally, the unique patterns may play a role in social interactions within a herd, helping giraffes recognise one another. Researchers also speculate that the different patterns can influence body heat regulation, as the darker areas may help dissipate heat more efficiently than the lighter areas. This intricate and natural design showcases nature's ingenuity in adapting creatures to their environments while providing them with individual identities.
Giraffe calves adapt quickly.
Giraffe calves are remarkably quick to adapt to life in the wild. Born after a gestation period of about 15 months, these calves are not only born tall standing at about 6 feets but are also capable of standing and running within just a few hours of birth. This rapid development is crucial for their survival, enabling them to quickly move with the herd and evade predators. The mother giraffe gives birth standing up, so the first challenge a calf faces is a fall of about 5 feet to the ground, which helps stimulate the calf’s breathing and other vital functions.
In the wild, the ability to keep pace with the herd is a matter of life and death, making the calf’s early hours exceptionally perilous. Predators such as lions and hyenas are quick to target the young, who are less experienced and easier to catch than adult giraffes. Therefore, a calf’s ability to run shortly after birth is an essential survuval trait. Giraffe mothers are also fiercely protective, staying close to their calves and being vigilant against potential threats. Additionally, giraffe calves grow rapidy, which helps them reach a safer size more quickly. This period of accelerated growth sees them nearby double their height in the first year, further increasingly their chances of survival iin the challenging environment of African savannah.
A Long & Flexible Tongue
Giraffes are equipped with an impressively long and prehensile tongue, measuring up to 20 inches, which is a standout feature in their anatomy . This extraordinary tongue is crucial for their survival and feeding habits, allowing them to skillfully grasp and strip leaves from from branches. The giraffes preferred diet consists mainly of acacia leaves, which are high in nutrients but also covered in thorns. The giraffes tongue is not only long enough to reach the most desirable leaves but its also exceptionally tough, capable of handling the sharp thorns without injury.
The dark blueish or black colouration of the tongue is particularly intriguing and is thought to serve a protective function. This darker pigment may help prevent sunburn, considering giraffes spend a significant portion of their day feeding with their tongues exposed to the harsh African sun. Additionally giraffes’s saliva is thick and sticky, which helps coat any thorns they might ingest, further protecting the mouth and throat from scratches. This combination of length, strength, and protective features makes the giraffe tongue perfectly adapted to its environment and diet, showcasing yet another fascinating aspect of its unique physiology.
Giraffes are not just the tallest animals but also remarkable examples of evolutionary adaption. Their physical traits from their extraordinary neck vertebrae and high blood pressure to their distinctive coat patterns and rapid early development demonstrates how well the species has adapted to their environments. The giraffes long, flexible tongue and the remarkable cardiovascular sustem are particularly impressive, reflecting specialised adaptations that help them thrive in the diverse and challenging habitats of the African savannah.