Adult male giraffes establish dominance by “necking”, which occurs when two males stand side-by-side and swing their heads at one another violently. Female giraffes, with their young, are often found together while immature males form bachelor herds, and then become more solitary as they mature. Individual giraffes join and leave the herd at will. Herd types can include all female, all male, females with young calves, or mixed gender and usually contain 10-20 individuals, although herds of up to 70 have been observed. Giraffe are social animals, but do not form stable, long-term herds. * Safari West currently has Masai and reticulated giraffe tippelschircki: population < 35,000Īngolan giraffe, G. There are believed to be nine subspecies of giraffe: Main threats to giraffe are habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as poaching. Some sub-species in east and southern Africa remain stable but others in north and west Africa are declining. There has been an estimated 40% decline in giraffe population in the last 30 years. The IUCN Red List describes Giraffa camelopardalis as Vulnerable, with a total population of ~97,000 individuals. Female ossicones are thin and tufted male giraffe ossicones are thick but the hair is often missing on the top due to sparring. They also sport horn structures, called ossicones. Giraffe have long, sturdy legs, and their front legs longer than their back legs. Without these the giraffe would lose consciousness.
One-way valves and elastic blood vessels in the neck control blood pressure in the head when the giraffe is bent over. Being very tall animals, giraffe have incredibly high blood pressure, averaging 260/160. An adult will have on average an 18 in (45 cm) black to purple prehensile tongue that grasps prickly food from hard to reach places. The giraffe’s incredibly long neck contains seven elongated vertebrae, the same number as in a human neck. The pattern for an individual giraffe is constant throughout their life but the coat color may change depending on age and health. Both males and female have a spotted coat with varying patterns and colors depending on the subspecies.
At birth calves stand up to about 6.5 ft (2 m) tall and weigh 110-200 lb (50-90 kg).
0 kommentar(er)
