| Giraffe
Facts by David Meisel
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  Latin
Name: Giraffa camelopardalis
Weight:
The males reach about 1400kg
and the females about 1200kg.
Gestation: 15 Months.
Diet & Feeding:
A giraffe will eat between
30 and 40kg of food in one day. They are browsers taking preference to
the Acacia trees. They have very long tongues (46cm), which they use to
strip leaves off between all the thorns on the Acacias. If a thorn is taken
in they simply spit it out.
An amazing adaptation that
giraffe have is that they don't have any blood vessels in their gums, so
they won't bleed when pierced by a thorn. Their tongues get very rough
and damaged by thorns over a period of time, so they are capable of shedding
the outer layers of the tongue, leaving it soft and smooth once again.
The collective name for
giraffe is a “journey of giraffe." The reason for this name is, that they
will not stay in the same area for too long feeding off the same trees.
If a giraffe feeds on the same Acacia tree for too long a period, the tree
then starts to defend itself by increasing the levels of tannin in its
leaves. The increase of tannin makes the leaves taste very bitter and dry,
forcing the giraffe to move on. The acacia at the same time releases chemicals
into the air, which is carried by the wind to other Acacias as a signal
to raise their tannin levels.
With the whole area being
tannin infested the giraffe then moves off to a totally different area,
often feeding upwind to feed off trees that have lower tannin levels.
 Blood
Circulation:
Giraffe being such tall animals
makes it very difficult for them to drink. They are very wary of predators
when approaching water, often stopping every few steps to scan their surroundings
for any sign of danger. Once at the waters’ edge, they move their front
legs apart and bend them to lower their bodies, then start drinking. In
this position they are very vulnerable to lions as it is difficult for
them to start running quickly when their legs are so far apart.
newcodeWhen the giraffe lowers
its head to drink, it gets no circulation of blood to the brain. Circulation
is stopped by closing valves at the point where the main arteries’ enter
the skull. These valves re-open when the animals head is lifted up again.
This helps the giraffe by preventing a rush of blood into the brain when
it lowers its head and a rush of blood out of its brain when the head is
lifted, thus preventing it from passing out.
Giraffe very seldom sleep,
and when they do they lie down on the belly, with the head resting against
a large tree or termite mound. Sometimes they will rest their head on the
lower part of the back when sleeping. The head is kept above ground level
to ensure the circulation of blood to the brain is not cut off.
Quick Facts:
Giraffe have 7 neck vertebras,
the same as all other mammals. For an adult each vertebra can be as long
a 1 foot in length.
When running they are capable
of reaching speeds of up to 55km/hour.
Just like humans, giraffe
have 32 teeth in total. Their dental formula is as follows: I 0/3, C 0/1,
P3/3, M 3/3.
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About the Author - I am an
ex-game ranger from South Africa. I have 2 awesome blogs packed with information
on all sorts of wildlife in Africa. I also talk about encounters with dangerous
game while doing bush walks. Visit my Blogs to find out more: www.safari-stories.blogspot.com
and www.southafrican-wildlife.blogspot.com |
