Giraffes: appearance, what they eat, the maximum speed of the animal. Giraffe is the biggest heart in the world

The giraffe lives almost throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Appearance This animal is so unusual that it is difficult to confuse it with any other animal. The first question almost everyone has is: “How tall is a giraffe?”

This mammal is the tallest of all currently known animals. The height of the giraffe from the ground to the forehead reaches 6 meters! The weight of an adult male exceeds 1 ton. The female is slightly lighter.

The height of the neck and head of a giraffe separately from the body reaches 3 meters. He has rather expressive eyes, pubescent thick eyelashes. The ears of the animal are small and narrow.

On the forehead of both sexes there are horns covered with wool. The coloration of the tallest mammal varies greatly. Scientists note that two giraffes with the same color do not exist. The pattern in the form of a spot is unique, like a fingerprint.

The main color background of the giraffe is yellowish-red. It has chocolate-brown spots in a chaotic form. Young giraffes are always lighter in color than adults. Sometimes there are white giraffes. But this is a rarity. They live in Kenya and northern Tanzania.

Giraffe food

It is no coincidence that the height of a giraffe (including the neck and head) is compared to the height of a two-story house. outlandish beast - the result of evolution. She is the first assistant to the giraffe in the extraction of food. The animal easily gets leaves from wild apricots, acacias and mimosas.

In addition, the giraffe has a rather long tongue - 50 centimeters. Grass that creeps along the ground is rarely eaten by animals. After all, the height of a giraffe (including the neck and head) is 6 meters! This causes him to spread his front legs wide, and sometimes even kneel. Approximately in this position, a tall animal drinks water from a reservoir. True, the giraffe is able to do without water for several weeks, replacing it with juicy wet food.

Giraffes in a herd

These animals form herds of 15 to 50 individuals. Often a group of giraffes unites with zebras, ostriches and antelopes. But this is a short-lived partnership. The growth of a giraffe obliges other fellow tribesmen to bow their heads before him.

Despite their peacefulness, giraffes sometimes enter into a kind of duel among themselves. But at the end of the fight, the defeated giraffe is not expelled from the herd, as is customary among other animals. The six-meter height of the giraffe (including the neck and head), suggests the awkwardness of the mammal. But in reality, this animal is perfectly adapted to the existence in the savannah.

Giraffe Facts

High growth allows the animal to see far. Giraffes are considered diurnal creatures.

They feed in the morning, and spend the afternoon in a pleasant nap, occasionally chewing their gum. Giraffes go to sleep at night. They lie on the ground, tucking their front limbs and one of their hind limbs under them.

The head is placed on the other hind limb, extended to the side. In this position, the height of the giraffe, including the head and neck, reaches about 3.5 m. Even in a sitting position, the animal looks tall.

The mating season for giraffes starts in July and lasts until September. Pregnancy of the female lasts about 450 days. A newborn cub weighs approximately 70 kg. The height of the giraffe, including the neck and head, is almost 2 meters. During childbirth, a herd of giraffes surrounds a fellow tribeswoman, protecting her from possible danger.

predators and giraffe

In addition to answering the question "What is the height of a giraffe, including the neck and head?", You can find out if he has enemies. In the wild, only lions dare to hunt the tallest animal. Predators manage to overcome the giraffe when they are in the pride.

If the lion alone dares to lie in wait for the giant, he may fail. An employee of one national parks became an eyewitness to this. The predator was going to jump on the back of the giraffe to bite his neck vertebrae.

But during the jump, the lion missed and was knocked down by the strongest blows of the giraffe's hooves right in the chest. Seeing that the lion was not moving, the eyewitness came closer: the chest of the predator was crushed. This is how the peaceful giraffe was able to stand up for himself!

Curiously, people mostly ask, "How tall is a giraffe?" But only a few fans of the majestic beast are interested in other information. For example, a giraffe's heart weighs over 12 kilograms!

With such a mass, it passes through itself about 60 liters of blood. This leads to very high pressure in an animal. Therefore, sudden movements when lowering and raising the head are unfavorable for the giraffe.

Despite its tall stature, the majestic animal can reach speeds of more than 55 kilometers per hour when running at a gallop. This is a good opportunity for a giraffe to overtake a racehorse when running short distances. But in fact, an unusual animal moves imposingly, rearranging both front and hind limbs in turn.

By the way, the legs of a giraffe are thin. This allows the animal to move only on a flat surface. Interestingly, giraffes can jump over obstacles of 1.5-2 meters.

Scientists believe that the tallest animal is not nomadic. Like many other species, giraffes stay within a well-defined territory. It is noticed that outside of their possessions, animals look alarmed.

Male giraffes in mating season do not tolerate rivals in their zone. If the animal notices a competitor, it takes a threatening posture, which is characterized by stretching its head up and a tense, numb neck. Such a measure is usually sufficient for the opponent to retire.

In extreme cases, giraffes butt each other. But such battles are safe. Animals lazily push each other, shaking their long necks. In most cases, the owner manages to drive away someone else's giraffe.

Small waterbirds are quite frequent guests on the neck of giraffes. They look for larvae of flies and ticks on the skin of giant animals and eat them. Vodoklui - a kind of sanitary assistance for a giraffe in

Giraffes are the tallest modern animals, which, combined with their bright spotted coloration and unusual body proportions, makes them absolutely recognizable.

Systematics

Latin name - Giraffa camelopardalis
English name- Giraffe
Order artiodactyls (Artiodactyla)
Giraffidae family (Giraffidae)
There are 9 subspecies of giraffe, the zoo contains 2 of them:
reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) - range red
South African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) - blue

Conservation status of the species

The giraffe is listed in the International Red Book as a species of least concern - IUCN(LC).

View and person

Until the arrival of Europeans in Africa, giraffes lived in the savannas of almost the entire continent. Local population they were hunted, but not actively, and everything went into action: meat was eaten, shields were made from skins, strings for strings were made from tendons. musical instruments, from the hair of the tail tassels - bracelets. The first white settlers exterminated giraffes mainly for the sake of skins, from which they made skin for the top of Boer carts, belts and whips. Later, during a safari, rich European hunters, having fun, killed many of these magnificent animals, and only tails with tassels served as trophies. As a result of such barbarity, the number of giraffes has almost halved over the past two centuries.

Currently, giraffes are not hunted much, however, their number in central Africa continues to decline, mainly due to the destruction of natural landscapes.

The giraffe is a peaceful animal, it gets along well next to a person and is one of the symbols of the African savannah.

In the zoos of Egypt and Rome, long-necked animals appeared around 1500 BC. e. The first giraffes came to London, Paris and Berlin in the 20s of the 19th century, and they were transported on sailing ships and led through Europe on foot. From bad weather, animals were covered with special raincoats, and leather sandals were put on their feet so that they would not wear out their hooves. Now giraffes are kept in almost all major zoos in the world and breed well in captivity.

Range and habitats

African continent. They live south of the Sahara in savannahs and sparse dry forests.

Appearance, features of morphology and physiology

The appearance of the giraffe is so peculiar that it cannot be confused with any other animal: a relatively small head on a disproportionately long neck, a sloping back, and long legs. The giraffe is the tallest living mammal: its height from the ground to the forehead reaches 4.8–5.8 m, the height at the withers is 3 m, while the body length is only 2.5 m! The mass of an adult male is about 800 kg, females are smaller and weigh 550–600 kg. On the forehead, both males and females have small horns covered with wool. Usually there is one pair, but sometimes two. In the middle of the forehead, many giraffes have a small bony outgrowth, resembling an additional unpaired horn.

Animal coloring in different parts range varies greatly, which served as the basis for the allocation of 9 subspecies by zoologists. However, even within the same subspecies it is impossible to find two identically colored giraffes: the spotted pattern is unique, like a fingerprint. Young animals are always slightly lighter than old ones. The spots scattered over the body of a giraffe imitate the play of shadow and light in tree crowns and perfectly camouflage giraffes among the trees.

At first glance, outwardly awkward, giraffes are actually perfectly adapted to life in the savannah: they see far and hear perfectly.

Giraffes usually move with a smooth step, ambling (both right and then both left legs are in motion first). Only in case emergency giraffes switch to a clumsy, as if slow gallop, but can withstand such a gait for no more than 2-3 minutes. A galloping giraffe constantly, as it were, nods deeply, bowing at each jump, since it can simultaneously tear off both front legs from the ground, only by throwing its neck and head far back and thus shifting the center of gravity. The animal looks extremely awkward while running, but it develops speed up to 50 km/h.

For a long time, the giraffe, due to the unusual structure of the body, was a mystery to physiologists. The heart of this animal is 2 m above the hooves and almost 3 m below the head. This means that, on the one hand, a significant column of blood presses on the vessels of the legs, which should lead to swelling of the legs, on the other hand, significant efforts are required to raise blood to the brain. How does the body of a giraffe cope with these problems? The lower part of the limbs of the animal is pulled together by a thick layer of subcutaneous connective tissue, which forms a dense stocking that presses on the walls of the vessels from the outside. The powerful heart of a giraffe creates a pressure of 300 mm Hg. Art., which is 3 times higher than in humans. When approaching the brain, due to the forces of gravity, the pressure of the bloodstream decreases, and in the head of the giraffe it is maintained at the same level as in other mammals. When the giraffe's head is raised, valves in the jugular vein prevent blood from draining too quickly. When the giraffe lowers its head, and the brain is 2 m below the heart, the pressure in it remains the same (90–100 mm Hg) due to the original structure of the vessels. Valves in the walls of the jugular vein prevent blood from returning to the brain, and a special network of elastic arteries located at the base of the skull delays it when it approaches the brain.

The long neck of the giraffe creates an even greater problem for breathing, they are forced to breathe faster than one would expect from such large animals: the respiratory rate of an adult giraffe at rest reaches 20 breaths per minute, while in humans it is only 12–15.

Lifestyle and social organization

Giraffes are diurnal animals. They usually feed in the morning and in the afternoon, and spend the hottest hours half asleep, standing in the shade of acacia trees. At this time, giraffes chew gum, their eyes are half-closed, but their ears are in in constant motion. A real dream for giraffes at night. Then they lie down on the ground, tucking their front legs and one of their hind legs under them, and put their head on the other hind leg extended to the side (the extended hind leg allows the giraffe to quickly rise in case of approaching danger). At the same time, the long neck turns out to be curved back like an arch. This sleep is often interrupted, the animals get up, then lie down again. The total duration of complete deep sleep in adult animals is amazingly small: it does not exceed 20 minutes per night!

Most giraffes are found in groups. Adult females, juveniles and young animals are united in groups, the number of which rarely exceeds 20 individuals. The composition of such associations is unstable, animals join or leave them at will, a strong connection is observed only between females and their restless babies. In open spaces, animals often form groups; when they graze in forests, they disperse.

Group sizes also depend on the season. At the height of the dry season, when food is scarce, giraffes disperse across the savannah in small groups, at most 4-5 individuals. On the contrary, in the rainy season, when it is easier to feed, 10-15 animals unite.

Adult males are actively moving, covering up to 20 km per day in search of receptive females, and are often alone. Most large male in this territory seeks to monopolize access to females. If he comes across another male on his way, the dominant assumes a characteristic posture with a vertically stretched neck and tense front legs exposed towards the opponent. If he does not think to retreat, then a duel begins, where the main weapon is the neck. Animals strike each other with resounding headbutts, aiming them at the belly of the enemy. The defeated animal retreats, the dominant pursues the loser at a distance of several meters, and then freezes in a victorious pose with its tail up.

Feeding and feeding behavior

Giraffes graze for 12-14 hours a day, preferring dawn or dusk when the heat is not so strong. They are called "pluckers" because giraffes feed on foliage, flowers, young shoots of trees and shrubs, finding food at a height of 2 to 6 meters. For the grass, they bend down in exceptional cases, when, after heavy rains, young growth sprouts violently. In whatever part of Africa giraffes graze, they prefer acacias, diversifying their menu with another 40-60 species of woody plants. Giraffes survive severe periods of drought by eating the tough leaves of drought-resistant plants, as well as fallen leaves and dry acacia pods.

Giraffes have unique mouthparts. The lips are equipped with long hairs, from which information about the presence of thorns and the degree of maturity of the leaves enters the brain through the nerve channels. The purple tongue of the giraffe, flexible, strong and extremely mobile, reaches a length of 46 cm. When grazing, it slips past the thorns, rolls up into a groove, wraps around the branches with the youngest and most delicious leaves and pulls them up to the level of the upper lip. Inner edges the lips are covered with papillae, which help the animal to hold the desired plant in its mouth: the giraffe cuts it off with the incisors of the lower jaw. The giraffe stretches smooth branches through the mouth, where there is a free space (diastema) between the premolars and fangs, tearing off all the leaves with its lips.

Like other ruminants, giraffes increase the digestibility of feed by chewing it repeatedly. In addition, they have the unique ability to chew food while in motion, which allows them to significantly increase their grazing time.

The giraffe eats relatively little for its size. Adult males absorb about 66 kg of fresh greens every day, females - about 58 kg.

Since the food of giraffes is 70% water, they do not need frequent watering, but if available pure water, drink it with pleasure. In some places, giraffes eat the earth, making up for the lack of mineral salts in the body.

The relationship between giraffes and acacias, their main food, deserves special attention. For millions of years, an evolutionary "arms race" has been going on between them, during which both sides have developed adaptations and counter-adaptations. On the one hand, there are sharp spines, spikes and hooks, as well as a high content of tannins - poisonous substances that have a sharp taste. On the other hand, a virtuoso tongue, very thick saliva, special substances secreted by the liver, and the ability to recognize leaves, in which the concentration of toxic substances is highest. And the black locust, especially loved by giraffes, has even adapted to reproduce with the help of giraffes! At the end of the dry season, the acacia is covered with creamy white flowers, which cannot leave indifferent giraffes, for whom these flowers are a very attractive source of nutrients. The leaves of the black acacia are protected by sharp thorns, but the flowers are defenseless. Giraffes, eating these delicacies at a height of 4 meters, each time powder their heads and necks with pollen and carry it to dozens of trees, walking up to 20 km a day. Thus, for acacia, the loss of part of the flowers and buds is compensated by the spread of pollen and guaranteed pollination by giraffes of the remaining flowers.

Vocalization

For a long time, giraffes were thought to be voiceless. But in fact, they have a completely normal voice apparatus, and they can make a whole range of different sounds. In case of danger, giraffes snore, releasing air through their nostrils. Excited or grappling with an opponent, males emit a hoarse cough or growl. It happens that adult giraffes, having reached the peak of excitement, roar loudly. Frightened cubs scream thinly and plaintively, without opening their lips.

Reproduction and rearing of offspring

Giraffes do not have a specific breeding season. Adult males move from one group to another, sniffing the females and determining their readiness for mating. The largest and strongest males participate in reproduction. Pregnancy in giraffes lasts more than a year(15 months), after which one cub is born, twins are extremely rare. A baby about two meters tall and weighing 70 kg falls at birth from a height of two meters, since the female does not lie down during childbirth. She can retire behind trees, but does not move far from the group. Like all ungulates, a newborn tries to stand on its legs a few minutes after birth, and half an hour later it tries mother's milk. The baby giraffe develops quickly, and after a week he already runs and jumps no worse than an adult animal. At the age of two weeks, the baby begins to try plant foods, but the mother feeds him with milk. whole year. She selflessly protects the cub from lions and hyenas, but, nevertheless, about half of the giraffes become the prey of predators during the first year of life.

Cubs leave their mother at the age of about 16 months.

A female giraffe gives birth to her first cub when she is 5 years old. If conditions are favorable, she will produce offspring every 18 months up to 20 years. Males start breeding at an older age.

Lifespan

In captivity, giraffes live up to 25 years (the record is 28 years), in nature - less.

Giraffes at the Moscow Zoo

On the old territory of the zoo there is a "House of the Giraffe", where everyone's favorite lives - Samson Gamletovich Leningradov. This is the only animal in the zoo with such full name. Samson was born in Leningrad zoo in 1993 (hence the surname) and came to us at the age of three. Good-natured, peaceful, he enjoys communicating with people.

Samson's favorite food is willow leaves, which he eats from branches suspended high in the aviary. Hay, or grass, he eats from a feeder, which is also located at a height of four meters. Even his drinker is raised by 2 meters. Samson is fed 3 times a day: in the morning he receives hay, branches and about 3 kg of hercules. During the day they give juicy food: vegetables and fruits (potatoes, carrots, beets, apples, bananas), which must be cut, otherwise the animal may choke. Samson first of all chooses bananas, apples and carrots, but by the evening he eats everything. At night, hay is added to the feeder and branches are given again. The branches are placed indoors, so sometimes, having come to the zoo in the evening, Samson can not be seen in the outdoor enclosure - he left to eat his favorite willow.

Beginning with late autumn and until spring, about once a month, Samson is given a shower - water is poured from a hose. He is very animated - runs around the enclosure, funny throwing up his long legs. In the summer, Samson washes in the rain: he likes a warm, light rain, but during a downpour, he hurries to take cover under the roof.

Samson belongs to a subspecies of reticulated giraffes, and in the New Territory of the zoo in the pavilion "Ungulates of Africa" ​​you can see a giraffe of another, South African subspecies, who came from Kenya. In summer, the animal walks in the fresh air, and in winter it is kept indoors. This is a female, her daily routine is the same as that of Samson, but she was born in the wild and therefore not so sociable (trustful) with people. Most she spends time at her feeders, but sometimes she grazes on grass growing in a clearing. At the same time, the long-necked and long-legged animal widely spreads its front legs and crouches funny. She treats the zebras and the ostrich - neighbors in the enclosure very peacefully, and sometimes even plays with them, arranging small runs.

It is impossible not to notice or confuse with someone else. The giraffe is visible from afar - a characteristic spotted body, a small head on a disproportionately elongated neck and long strong legs.

Description of the giraffe

Giraffa camelopardalis is rightfully recognized as the tallest of modern animals.. Males with a mass of 900-1200 kg grow to 5.5-6.1 m, where approximately, consisting of 7 cervical vertebrae (as in most mammals). In females, height / weight is always slightly less.

Appearance

most big riddle the giraffe was presented to physiologists who were perplexed about how he copes with overloads with a sharp rise / fall of his head. The giant's heart is located 3 m below the head and 2 m above the hooves. Therefore, his limbs must swell (under the pressure of a column of blood), which does not happen in reality, and a cunning mechanism has been invented to deliver blood to the brain.

1. There are shut-off valves in the great jugular vein, which cut off blood flow to maintain pressure in the central artery to the brain.
2. Head movements do not threaten the giraffe with death, since its blood is very thick (the density of red blood cells is twice the density of human blood cells).
3. The giraffe has a powerful 12-kilogram heart: it pumps 60 liters of blood per minute and creates 3 times more pressure than humans.

The head of an artiodactyl is decorated with ossicons - a pair (sometimes 2 pairs) of fur-covered horns. Often in the center of the forehead there is a bony outgrowth, similar to another horn. The giraffe has neat protruding ears and black eyes surrounded by thick eyelashes.

This is interesting! Animals have an amazing mouth apparatus with a flexible purple tongue 46 cm long. Hairs grow on the lips, supplying information to the brain about the degree of maturity of the leaves and the presence of thorns.

The inner edges of the lips are dotted with nipples that hold the plant undercut by the lower incisors. The tongue passes by the thorns, rolls up into a groove and wraps around a branch with young leaves, pulling them up to the upper lip. The spots on the body of the giraffe are designed to mask it among the trees, imitating the play of light and shadow in the crowns. The lower part of the body is lighter and devoid of spots. The coloration of giraffes depends on the areas where the animals live.

Lifestyle and behavior

These artiodactyls have excellent eyesight, smell and hearing, supported by phenomenal growth - all factors together allow you to both quickly notice the enemy and follow your comrades at a distance of up to 1 km. Giraffes feed in the morning and after a siesta, which they spend half asleep, hiding in the shade of acacia trees and chewing gum. During these hours, their eyes are half-closed, but their ears are constantly moving. A deep, albeit short (20 minutes) sleep comes to them at night: the giants first get up, then again lie down on the ground.

This is interesting! They lie down, tucking one hind and both front legs under them. The giraffe pulls the second hind leg to the side (in order to quickly get up in case of danger) and puts its head on it so that the neck turns into an arch.

Adult females with children and young animals usually live in groups of up to 20 individuals, dispersing when grazing in the forest and uniting on open area. An inextricable connection is preserved only among mothers with babies: the rest either leave the group or return.

The more food, the more numerous the community: in the rainy season it includes at least 10–15 individuals, in the drought - no more than five. Animals move mainly by ambling - a smooth step, in which both right and then both left legs are alternately involved. Occasionally, giraffes change style, moving to a slow gallop, but do not withstand such a gait for more than 2-3 minutes.

Jumps at a gallop are accompanied by deep nods and tilts. This is due to the shift in the center of gravity, in which the giraffe is forced to tilt back the neck / head in order to simultaneously lift the front legs off the ground. Despite the rather clumsy run, the animal develops a good speed (about 50 km / h) and is able to jump over obstacles up to 1.85 m high.

How long do giraffes live

Under natural conditions, these colossi live less than a quarter of a century, in zoos - up to 30–35 years.. The first long-necked slaves appeared in the zoological parks of Egypt and Rome around 1500 BC. Giraffes arrived on the European continent (in France, Great Britain and Germany) only in the 20s of the century before last.

They were transported sailing ships, and then they simply led on land, putting leather sandals on their hooves (so that they would not wear out), and covering them with raincoats. Today, giraffes have learned to breed in captivity and are kept in almost all known zoos.

Important! Previously, zoologists were sure that giraffes "do not talk", but later found out that they have a healthy vocal apparatus, tuned to broadcast a variety of sound signals.

So, frightened cubs make thin and plaintive sounds without opening their lips. Seasoned males roar loudly, having reached the peak of excitement. In addition, with strong excitement or during a fight, males growl or cough hoarsely. With an external threat, animals snort, releasing air through the nostrils.

Giraffe subspecies

Each subspecies differs in nuances of coloring and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bpermanent habitat. After much debate, biologists came to the conclusion that there are 9 subspecies, between which interbreeding is sometimes possible.

Modern giraffe subspecies (with range zones):

• Angolan giraffe - Botswana and Namibia;
• giraffe Kordofan - Central African Republic and western Sudan;
• Thornycroft's giraffe - Zambia;
• West African giraffe - now only in Chad (formerly all of West Africa);
• Masai giraffe - Tanzania and southern Kenya;
• Nubian giraffe - west of Ethiopia and east of Sudan;
• Reticulated giraffe - southern Somalia and northern Kenya;
• Rothschild giraffe (Uganda giraffe) - Uganda;
• South African giraffe - South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

This is interesting! Even among animals belonging to the same subspecies, there are no two absolutely identical giraffes. Spotted patterns on wool are akin to fingerprints and are completely unique.

Range, habitats

You have to go to Africa to see giraffes. Now animals live in the savannahs and dry forests of South / East Africa, located south and southeast of the Sahara. Giraffes that inhabited territories north of the Sahara were exterminated a long time ago: the last population lived on the coast mediterranean sea and in the Nile Delta in the era ancient egypt. In the last century, the range has narrowed even more, and today the most numerous populations of giraffes live only in reserves and reserves.

giraffe diet

It takes a giraffe a total of 12-14 hours to eat every day (usually at dawn and dusk). Favorite delicacy - acacias growing in different parts African continent. In addition to varieties of acacia, the menu includes from 40 to 60 types woody vegetation, as well as tall young grass, violently rising after showers. In drought, giraffes switch to less appetizing food, starting to pick up dried acacia pods, fallen leaves and hard leaves of plants that tolerate the lack of moisture well.

Like other ruminants, the giraffe re-chews the plant mass so that it is more quickly absorbed in the stomach. These artiodactyls are endowed with a curious property - they chew without stopping movement, which significantly increases the grazing time.

This is interesting! Giraffes are referred to as "pluckers" as they cut off flowers, young shoots and leaves of trees/shrubs growing at a height of 2 to 6 meters.

It is believed that, relative to their size (height and weight), the giraffe eats very moderately. Males daily eat about 66 kg of fresh greens, women - even less, up to 58 kg. In some regions, animals, making up for the lack of mineral components, absorb the earth. These artiodactyls can do without water: it enters their body from food, which is 70% moisture. However, going to the sources with clean water, giraffes drink it with pleasure.

natural enemies

In nature, these giants have few enemies. Not everyone dares to attack such a colossus, and even suffer from powerful front hooves, few people want to. One precise blow - and the enemy's skull is split. But attacks on adults and especially young giraffes still happen. The list of natural enemies includes predators such as:

• leopards;
• hyena dogs.

Eyewitnesses who visited the Etosha nature reserve in northern Namibia told how lions jumped on a giraffe and managed to bite its neck.

In sun-scorched African savannas the tallest animal on the planet lives - the giraffe, whose distant ancestors appeared on Earth about 20 million years ago. Giraffes are known for their exceptionally long necks, but they got their name from their bright colors and the Arabic word "zarafa" which means "smart".

Giraffe in the savannah.

How tall is a giraffe and how much does the tallest mammal in the world weigh? Why does the giraffe have such a long neck? What does a giraffe eat in the African savannas? How do giraffes sleep and what are their enemies? The answers to these questions may be of interest to both children and adults.

Where does the giraffe live: range today and millions of years ago

During the time of the dinosaurs, giraffes were very species diversity and lived throughout Africa, as well as in the territories modern Europe and Asia. About 2 million years ago, during a period of sharp cooling, most species died out. managed to survive the only giraffe, as we know it today and more like a zebra okapi. Together, these two animals form the giraffe family.

The modern classification includes 9 subspecies of giraffes, which differ in distribution area and pattern. The pattern on the skin of each giraffe is unique, like human fingerprints. Of particular interest is the pattern of the reticulated giraffe, formed by dark polygonal spots framed by narrow white stripes, which makes it seem that the body of the animal is covered with a net.

Rare, endangered subspecies include:

• the Nubian giraffe, with a population of less than a thousand individuals, has remained in eastern South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia;
• the West African giraffe is practically extinct, no more than 200 specimens are found only in Niger;
• giraffe kordofan is an extremely small subspecies that lives in the Central African Republic and western Sudan;
• Ugandan giraffe, also known as the Rothschild giraffe, has no more than 700 animals preserved in Uganda and Kenya.

The remaining subspecies are vulnerable, and their total strength is about 100 - 150 thousand individuals:

• South African giraffe - the most numerous subspecies, whose range covers the savannas of Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe;
• Thornycroft's giraffe lives in Zambia;
• the Angolan giraffe lives in Botswana and Namibia;
• the Masai giraffe is found in Tanzania and Kenya;
• the reticulated giraffe is common in southern Somalia and northern Kenya.

The extinction of modern giraffes is solely the merit of a man who began to exterminate animals in antiquity. At first they were killed for beautiful skins and edible meat, in the 20th century hunting for the tallest mammals became a popular pastime.

Giraffe language.

Giant stature and that amazing neck

Giraffe cubs are born quite tall, their average height is about 1.8 m with a body weight of 50 kg. Females give birth standing up, and despite falling from a height of 2 meters, the giraffe gets to its feet in an hour and starts running on its first birthday.

Giraffes reach gigantic growth by the age of 6: adult males grow up to 5.5 - 6.1 m with a body weight of 900 to 1200 kg. A third of the length of the animals is the neck, but giraffes were not always like this. Their ancient ancestors had the same massive build, but their necks were much shorter. After the global extinction, the only giraffe left on earth began to lengthen its neck as a tool to survive in the face of fierce competition for food. After all, the foliage of trees - what the giraffe eats, grows high above the ground, out of reach of other animals.

According to another version long necks modern giraffes are the result of ritual duels between males for a female, when rivals beat their heads in each other's necks. A longer-necked male always wins, becomes interesting to females and, accordingly, produces longer-necked offspring, who have every chance of providing themselves with a full diet.

Giraffe at the waterhole.

What does a giraffe eat

Dry African savannahs do not have a variety of flora, but the main food source of giraffes grows there - the Nile acacia, a tree-like shrub, up to 6 m high. The long branches of the plant are densely strewn with feathery leaves and hooked thorns, but this does not prevent giraffes from safely eating their favorite food in large quantities .

To get enough, an adult giraffe needs up to 30 kg of green mass per day, and succulent leaves fully satisfy the needs of animals for food and water. The giraffe stretches out a muscular tongue, up to 45 cm long, deftly grabs a branch with it and plucks the leaves, moving its head back. Wherein special structure mouthparts allow you to eat on thorny branches completely painlessly. And only in starvation do giraffes have to bend low and pluck the grass.

Giraffe with a cub.

Giraffes rarely drink, once every few weeks, but they drink about 38 liters of water at once. At a watering place, animals spread their legs wide and lower their heads low, but they begin to drink only when they are convinced of their safety. Even lions and leopards do not seek to attack adult giraffes; deadly blows of the front hooves easily blow the head of each enemy. However, up to 50% of young individuals become victims of predators, although females protect offspring for up to a year and a half.

Giraffes are vulnerable at a watering hole and during sleep, when they rest standing or lying down, putting their bent neck on their croup. To sleep, these amazing animals have enough from 10 minutes to 2 hours a day, and the rest of the time giraffes wander leisurely in search of their favorite acacia.

In the African savannas, a giraffe can live up to 25 years; in zoos, the life of animals increases by another 10 years.

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis- artiodactyl mammal from the giraffe family (Giraffidae). The tallest land animal on Earth.

Description

The giraffe is the tallest land mammal on the planet. Males reach a height of 5.7 meters from the ground to the horns: 3.3 meters to the shoulders and the neck rises to 2.4 meters. Females are 0.7-1 meter shorter than males. The weight of the male is about 1930 kg, and that of the female is 1180 kg. The cub is born with a weight of 50 - 55 kg and a height of about 2 meters.

Giraffes of both sexes are spotted. It varies depending on the habitat. All nine subspecies have different patterns. The characteristic spots of giraffes can be small, medium or big size. The color of the spots varies from yellow to black. Throughout the life of a giraffe, the pattern remains unchanged. But depending on the season and the health of the animal, the color of the coat can be changed.

The giraffe has long and strong legs. At the same time, the front legs are longer than the hind legs. The neck consists of seven elongated vertebrae. The back of giraffes is sloping, the tail is thin and long, about 76-101 cm. The black tassel at the end of the tail is used by animals to get rid of annoying flies and other flying insects. Giraffe horns are bony protrusions covered in skin and fur. The horns of females are thin and have tassels. In males, they are thick, and the coat is smoothed. A bony outgrowth is often found on the forehead, which is mistaken for the middle horn. Their eyes are large, and their tongue is black and about 45 cm long for better capture of food from the very tops of trees.

area

Africa is the birthplace of giraffes. They are mainly distributed from the south of the Sahara to the east of the Transvaal and in the northern part of Botswana. Giraffes have disappeared from most habitats in West Africa, with the exception of the remaining population in the Republic of Niger, which has been restored from reserves South Africa.

Habitat

Giraffes live in arid regions of Africa. They prefer areas with a lot of growing acacia. They can be found in savannahs, woodlands and meadows. Since giraffes drink only occasionally, they live in arid lands far from water sources. Males tend to travel to more wooded areas in search of foliage.

Giraffes are not territorial animals. Their habitat range varies from 5 to 654 square kilometers, depending on the availability of water and food sources.

reproduction

Giraffes are polygamous animals. Males carefully protect their females from other males. Courtship begins from the moment the male approaches the female and analyzes her urine. Then the male rubs his head next to the sacrum of his chosen one and puts his head on her back to rest. He licks the tail of the female and raises his front paw. If the female accepted the courtship, she bypasses the male and holds her tail for the mating position, after which the actual process of copulation takes place.

Conception falls during the rainy season, and the birth of young occurs during the dry months. Most births take place from May to August. Females breed every 20-30 months. The duration of pregnancy is about 457 days. Females give birth standing up or while walking. The cub is born with a height of about 2 meters. Most often, one calf is born; twins occur, but very rarely. Newborns stand up and begin to suckle milk fifteen minutes after birth. The cubs hide for most of the day and night during their first week of life. The period of stay of a female cub next to its mother lasts 12-16 months, and a male cub - 12-14 months. The period of independence varies by gender. Females tend to stay in the herd. However, males live alone until the moment they have their own herd, where they can become dominant males. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years, but do not breed for at least one year. At the age of 4-5 years, males become sexually mature. However, before reaching the age of seven, they do not breed.

3-4 weeks after birth, females send their offspring to the nursery. This allows mothers to leave their young for long distances to get food and drink. Mother giraffes take turns watching the young in a group. Thanks to such groups, females have the opportunity to move away at distances of about 200 meters. But before dark, they return to the calves to feed them with milk and protect them from nocturnal predators.

Lifestyle

Giraffes are social animals that live in free, open herds. The number of individuals is from 10 to 20, although cases have been recorded and 70 individuals in one herd. Individuals can join or leave the herd at will. Herds consist of females, males and cubs of different sexes and ages. Females are more socialized than males.

Giraffes consume food and water in the morning and evening. These mammals rest at night in a standing position. When resting, their head rests on the hind leg and forms an impressive arch together with the neck. They sleep standing up, but sometimes they can lie down. The eyes of giraffes are half-closed while resting, and their ears twitch. On a hot afternoon, they usually chew gum, but they may do so during the day.

Adult males establish their superiority during a duel. Sparring takes place between two males. Males walk toe-to-toe with each other, their necks pointing forward in a horizontal position. They intertwine their necks and heads, lean against each other to assess the strength of their opponent. Then the giraffes get close and start hitting the enemy with their neck and head. Their blow is quite heavy and can knock down and injure the enemy.

Giraffes are fast moving mammals that can reach speeds of 32 to 60 km/h and run impressive distances.

Lifespan

Giraffes have a lifespan of 20 to 27 years in zoos and 10 to 15 years in the wild.

Communication and perception

Giraffes rarely make sounds and are therefore considered quiet or even mute mammals. They communicate with their own kind using infrasound. Sometimes they can make sounds similar to grunting or whistling. When alarmed, a giraffe may snort or grunt to warn nearby giraffes of danger. Mothers whistle to their calves. In addition, females search for lost cubs with the help of a roar. Calves respond to their mothers by bleating or meowing. During courtship, males may make cough-like sounds.

The giraffe has good visibility due to its height. This allows the animals to maintain continuous visual contact even at great distances from the herd. Keen vision helps the giraffe to see a predator from a distance in order to have time to prepare for an attack.

Eating Habits

Giraffes feed on leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruits. In areas where the surface of the savannah is salty or full of minerals, they eat the soil. Giraffes are ruminants. They have a four-chambered stomach. Chewing gum while traveling helps increase the time between feedings.

They have long tongues, narrow snouts, and flexible upper lips that help reach leaves from tall trees. Giraffes feed on the foliage of various trees, including Senegalese acacia, bashful mimosa, small-flowered combretum and apricot. The main food is acacia leaves. Giraffes take a branch of a tree into their mouths and, arching their heads, tear off the leaves. Acacia has thorns, but the animal's molars grind them with ease. During the day, an adult male consumes up to 66 kg of food. However, with a lack of food, a giraffe can survive on only 7 kg of food per day.

Males usually forage at the height of their head and neck. Females feed on leaves growing at the height of their body and knees, crowns of lower trees and shrubs. Females are more selective in feeding, they choose leaves with the highest calorie content.

Threats from wild animals

They are the main threat to giraffes. Leopards and hyenas have also been seen hunting giraffes. Adults are quite capable of defending themselves. They remain alert and are capable of delivering lightning-fast and deadly blows with their hooves. Near bodies of water, giraffes can become prey to crocodiles. Most predators target young, sick, or elderly individuals. Spotted coloration gives them good camouflage.

Role in the ecosystem

In many zoos and reserves, giraffes bring in good profits by attracting visitors. Previously, these mammals were killed for meat and skin, as well as for entertainment. Buckets, reins, whips, belts for harnesses, and sometimes for musical instruments were made from thick skin.

conservation status

The population of giraffes in some parts of their range was long time stable, while in others it was exterminated. Giraffes were hunted for their valuable meat, hide and tail. The population is still widespread in eastern and southern Africa, but has declined sharply in West Africa. In the Republic of Niger, conservation of the giraffe population has become a priority. In other places where large mammals disappeared, giraffes survived. This was due to a decrease in competition with other animals.

Subspecies

Subspecies distribution includes territorial location these mammals and drawing on the body. To date, there are nine subspecies of giraffes:

Nubian giraffe

Nubian giraffe (G. c. camelopardalis) lives in the eastern part of South Sudan and in southwestern Ethiopia. Giraffes of this subspecies have distinctive chestnut spots surrounded by mostly white lines. The bony growth on the forehead is more pronounced in males. There are thought to be around 250 giraffes left in the wild, although these numbers have not been confirmed. Nubian giraffes are difficult to find in captivity, although a small group is located at the Al Ain Zoo in the United United Arab Emirates. In 2003, the group consisted of 14 individuals.

reticulated giraffe

reticulated giraffe (G. c. reticulata), it is also known as the Somali giraffe. Its homeland is the northeast of Kenya, the south of Ethiopia and Somalia. It has a distinctive pattern on its body that consists of spiky, reddish-brown polygonal spots separated by a network of thin white lines. Spots can be located below the hock, and a bony growth on the forehead is present only in males. It is estimated that there are a maximum of 5,000 individuals in the wild, and about 450 in zoos.

Angolan giraffe

Angolan giraffe or Namibian (G. c. angolensis), lives in the northern part of Namibia, in the southwest of Zambia, in Botswana and in the west of Zimbabwe. A genetic study of this subspecies suggests that the northern Namibian desert population and national park Etosha constitute a separate subspecies. It is characterized by the presence of large brown spots on the body with teeth or elongated corners. Drawings are distributed along the entire length of the legs, but are absent in the upper part of the face. The neck and sacrum has a small amount of spots. The subspecies has a white patch of skin in the ear area. According to recent estimates, a maximum of 20,000 animals remain in the wild and about 20 are in zoos.

giraffe kordofan

giraffe kordofan (G. c. antiquorum) distributed in southern Chad, in the Central African Republic, northern Cameroon and northeastern part Democratic Republic Congo. The Cameroon giraffe population was previously assigned to another subspecies, the West African, but this was an erroneous opinion. Compared to Nubian giraffes, this subspecies has more uneven spotting. Their spots can be located below the hocks and on the insides of the legs. A bony growth on the forehead is present in males. It is estimated that about 3000 individuals live in the wild. Considerable confusion exists regarding the status of this and the West African subspecies in zoos. In 2007, all supposed West African giraffes were in fact Kordofan giraffes. Given these amendments, there are about 65 Kordofan giraffes in zoos.

Masai giraffe

Masai giraffe (G. c. tippelskirchi), also known as the Kilimanjar giraffe, lives in the central and southern parts Kenya and Tanzania. This subspecies has its own distinctive, unevenly distributed, jagged, star-shaped spots that are found on the legs. Most often, a bone growth on the forehead occurs in males. About 40,000 giraffes remain in the wild, and about 100 giraffes are in zoos.

Rothschild giraffe

Rothschild giraffe (G. c. rothschildi), so named after Walter Rothschild, also known as the baringo giraffe or Ugandan giraffe. Its range includes parts of Uganda and Kenya. Giraffes of this subspecies have large dark spots that have smooth contours, but sharp edges are also found. Dark spots may have lighter lines. Spots rarely extend below the hock and almost never reach the hooves. Less than 700 individuals remain in the wild and over 450 Rothschild giraffes live in zoos.

South African giraffe

South African giraffe (G. c. giraffa) lives in northern South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, and southwestern Mozambique. The subspecies is characterized by the presence of dark, slightly rounded spots on the reddish color of the skin. The spots spread down the legs and become smaller in size. About 12,000 South African giraffes live in the wild and 45 in captivity.

Rhodesian giraffe

Rhodesian giraffe (G. c. thornicrofti), also has the name Thornycroft's giraffe, after Harry Scott Thornycroft bounded the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia. It has jagged spots and a few star-shaped spots that sometimes extend to the legs. The bony outgrowth on the forehead in males is underdeveloped. No more than 1,500 individuals remain in the wild.

West African giraffe

West African giraffe (G. c. peralta) also known as the Niger or Nigerian subspecies, it is endemic to the southwestern part of the Republic of Niger. Giraffes of this subspecies have a lighter coat than other subspecies. The spots on the body are lobe-shaped and extend below the hock. Males have a well-developed bony outgrowth on the forehead. This subspecies has the smallest population, less than 220 individuals left in. Cameroonian giraffes were previously classified as this subspecies, but in fact, they were Kordofan giraffes. This error has led to some confusion in the population count of the subspecies, but in 2007 it was determined that all West African giraffes found in European zoos are actually Kordofan giraffes.

Video: Male Giraffe Fight