Giraffe is a mammal from the artiodactyl order. Description, habitat and lifestyle of a giraffe

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

What do we know about the giraffe? Of course, this is the highest living being on the planet. If desired, he could look into your windows located on the second floor. The giraffe is a mammalian herbivore from the order of artiodactyls, very hardy and strong. In the wild, he has only one enemy - the lion. With the rest of the brethren, cooperation or armed neutrality is observed, as, for example, with elephants. The giraffe has very good eyesight, which is not surprising - with such and such growth. Now let's move on to the details.

African giant

There were times when these tall giants lived in the vastness of Europe and Asia. But that's all in the past. Today, the giraffe population is rapidly declining, and they remain on only one continent - Africa. But even there, the territory of distribution of the giraffe is becoming smaller. Of course, they are trying to protect him,but there are too many who want to take a selfie with the carcass of an animal killed on a safari - it's so cool. Therefore, it is quite possible that our immediate descendants will only be able to learn about the giraffe from old videos or see it in pictures and photos.

According to researchers, the type of giraffe that we are familiar with formed about two million years ago. That is, in comparison with this giant, a person has just begun to live. If your height is about two meters, then you will be just on the shoulder of this tall handsome man. The giraffe is far from being as well understood as many other representatives of the fauna: there are mysteries in his life that have yet to be unraveled.

Giraffe Secrets

We know a lot about this animal. For example, what is his height and tongue, as well as weight and eating habits. But we cannot yet answer with sufficient certainty the question: "Why is the giraffe so arranged?". That is, scientists have a common explanation that refers the interested person to the process of long-term evolution. But that's about all. Let's get down to the facts.

The weight of an adult sexually mature male is from one to two tons. Females are almost twice as light. Of all this mass, approximately 250 kg is the neck, and the heart muscle, whose contraction rate is about 170 beats per minute, weighs 10 kg. It is surprising that, with a clear disproportionate body structure, the giraffe does not faint when it suddenly raises its head. However, this is due to the specific structure of its vascular system.

And yet you will agree that the giraffe is not a very harmonious animal in terms of matching the lower and upperbody parts. But this is only at first glance.

Dangerous neighbors

We can say that the giraffe is a species perfectly adapted to life in the desert, since its coloration allows the animal to blend into the landscape. Moreover, 9 types of color combinations are known, changing depending on the territory of residence of this giant.

But who does the giraffe try to avoid with its massive weight and cloven hooves on strong legs, the length of which, by the way, reaches 180 cm? Are there many who want to argue with him in the desert or on the expanses of the savannah?

In fact, there is only one danger for this six-meter giant - a lion, and even then only if he hunts with the pride. Alone, this can end sadly for the king of beasts. The fact is that the most important weapon of a giraffe is its legs. Their blow is almost fatal, and the lions know about it. Therefore, the hunt for a giraffe begins only collectively and only when common sense is blocked by hunger.

In speed, an animal with a long neck loses to lions, because it runs about 56 km per hour, and the king of beasts can reach 80 km, but only for short distances. And a giraffe is a stayer, so if the lion does not have time to overtake him in the first minutes of the pursuit, then the chase is already useless.

Safety

Giraffe has something to fear. First, due to its growth, it is vulnerable in the event of a thunderstorm, like an object for a lightning strike. Secondly, as we know, there are lions. Thirdly, high slopes for a giraffe area serious obstacle. He may lose his balance, and then this "high tower" will collapse. It is known that only two living creatures can fall at the risk of their lives - a giraffe and a man.

Therefore, before this tall handsome man decides to climb a high slope, he will first inquire about the availability of a safer and gentler path.

The giraffe's lifestyle is traditional for animals living in places where rain is the greatest rarity, and water is the greatest treasure. They move from place to place in search of food, like all herbivores. They try to stay closer to other animals that do not have such a long neck, and, therefore, the overview of the territory is less extensive. The giraffe, due to its size, is the first to detect danger and begin to retreat, and the rest, looking at it, also take precautions.

By the way, how many vertebrae do you think there are in a giraffe's neck? You will be surprised, but there are as many of them as you have - seven. This is where size matters.

Baby Giraffe

A female giraffe bears a cub for 15 months. When the time comes, the baby is born, falling from a height of about two meters, as the mother gives birth to the light while standing. An hour later, the cub already rises to its feet and begins to explore this world. Newborn babies have a weight of about 50 kg, a height of about 1.8 m and small horns.

The adaptation period does not last long - about two weeks, and then the mother introduces the baby to the herd. Under the protection of a female giraffe cubis the same as the gestation period lasted - 15 or 16 months. All this time, the baby is gaining weight and height, so that by the age of four he becomes sexually mature, and by the age of six he reaches full growth. It should be noted that infant mortality is quite high, and only about 50% of babies survive.

For the safety of mothers, organized in a kind of kindergarten. This means that one of the mothers is always with the young, while the rest are busy getting food at this time.

The difference between how long a giraffe lives in the wild and how long in nature reserves is quite significant - 10 years. Normally, in natural conditions, the average animal lives only a quarter of a century (25 years).

Habitat

Numerous archaeological finds indicate that a giraffe-like animal (according to the description) was common in the Nile River Delta. However, even in the era of Ancient Egypt, this population was destroyed.

Today, the habitat of giraffes in Africa. However, they do not live compactly on this continent, but are scattered across it. And a certain area is home to one of nine subspecies, each of which differs from the rest in the pattern of wool. This happened because the environment required maximum adaptation to its landscape and conditions.

For example, the Angolan giraffe has the palest coat color, as it is almost identical to the color of desert sand. It should be noted that these tall animals are able to managewithout water for quite a long time, but this is a difficult test for them. During the day in the desert unbearable heat, and at night the temperature can drop to 0 degrees. However, there is a positive point in this: the formation of night fog ends with dew, which settles on the leaves of a few vegetation. This is exactly what giraffes make up for the lack of liquid by licking drops.

Thus, moving from tree to tree, animals can reach the nearest body of water.

Armed neutrality

Among the inhabitants of the desert, the giraffe is not the largest animal. Elephants compete with him in this. They also feed on vegetation, and therefore compete with giraffes for tasty places and water bodies. These two giants do not directly attack each other, but the elephants do not miss the opportunity to demonstrate their strength. However, the giraffe does not play these stupid games, especially if it happens near a watering hole. The tall handsome man will just wait patiently for the elephants to get drunk and make room.

Next, an acrobatic etude begins: how many vertebrae are in the giraffe's neck, so much he must lower them to the surface of the reservoir. This cannot be done without involving the legs. And in this position, the long-necked animal looks like a cabinet with legs spaced at an angle of 45 degrees.

The giraffe can only tilt its head for a minute, but this time is enough for it to draw in several liters of water. Then comes a sharp rise, but the valves in his veins preventpossibility of loss of balance. This happens several times until the body of the animal makes up for weeks of fluid loss. Next, the giraffe goes in search of food.

On the benefits of language

The regions of Africa are not gardens of Eden with fruits strewn over their branches. If there is vegetation here, then it protects itself in every possible way, for example, with long spines. These are the different types of acacia, the leaves of which the giraffe feeds on. How does he protect himself from long needles? Firstly, his eyelashes perfectly protect his eyes from danger. And secondly, the tongue of the giraffe, which is up to half a meter long, is adapted to reach the leaves, penetrating through the thorns of the acacia.

The structure and color of this important organ deserves special description. In addition, with its help, the giraffe can not only get food, but also destroy annoying insects, which are overabundant in the savannah. The tongue varies in color from purple to black and is quite muscular.

Giraffes can get enough of six kilograms of different kinds of vegetation, but in fact they eat much more. Almost their entire working day, which is from 16 to 20 hours, is devoted to obtaining food.

Girls and boys

To an inexperienced observer, it will seem completely impossible to distinguish a giraffe-boy from a girl at a distance. In the meantime, this is quite simple to do: look at how they eat.

Females carefully pluck leaves that are no higher than their body level. And the males try to reachdesirable vegetation located at the highest point of the tree. However, this does not apply when what the giraffe eats, such as a cactus, has a height below their height. The spines of this plant do not frighten animals at all, since their stomach can digest anything.

By the way, unlike lions with their clear hierarchy in the pride, giraffes can be called democrats. There are both males and females in the herd, and without any sign of organization or discrimination based on gender. And one more thing: a stranger can join the team and will be accepted.

Method of communication

Researchers have long been trying to understand the principle by which communication between giraffes is built. It has been observed that these animals rarely make any sounds, however, babies can moo or bleat, and males growl while fighting for a female. In addition, giraffes can snore, moan, hiss, and even mimic the sound of a flute.

Communication of these animals is absolutely impossible to eavesdrop on a person, since the frequency of the sounds emitted is below 20 Hz. Therefore, scientists use special sensors with which it is possible to get at least some idea of the conversations of giraffes among themselves. By the way, they prefer to talk at night.

How they rest

Looking at these giant animals, one involuntarily wonders: "How do they manage to sleep?". We can say that they do it in different ways. If you want to take a nap, the giraffe turns off for 5 minutes without changing its position.

Ifa long rest is needed, then special preparations follow: the giraffe lies on the ground, then draws its long legs. He lays his neck on one side, and bends his head so that it is on the sacrum. Here in such an intricate position he sleeps. Moreover, a giraffe cannot be called a dormouse, since his sleep lasts about an hour a day.

Procreation

Mature females, as a rule, do not leave the herd, which cannot be said about adult males, who can embark on a solitary "swimming". However, the "X" time is coming, and males tend to go where there are girls to have offspring.

But not everything is so simple: first you need to pass the casting, show what you are capable of, and only then…

So, to the issue of the neck of a giraffe: there is a theory according to which the specimen with the longest neck won the mating battle between males. In reality, giraffes inflict very sensitive blows to the opponent with this part of the body. It even comes to death.

And they also use an insidious trick: with the help of the neck, they grab the opponent’s leg so that he remains on three, loses his balance, falls, and the winner takes all.

How to tell them apart

Giraffes have one unique feature: they can be identified by their coat pattern. Each individual has its own color parameters, just like we have fingerprints. And age shows the intensity of the color: the darker it is, the older the animal.

Each living creature on planet Earth has a unique set of features and qualities. The disappearance of one, even the smallest element of nature is an irreparable loss. Therefore, it is so important to preserve all the richness of the animal and plant world for future generations.