With the changing of season and health, they may alter their coat color. Giraffe necks contain seven elongated vertebrae, the same as humans. Giraffes have a steeply sloping back from the shoulders to the rump. Their tails are thin and long, measuring about 76 to cm in length. A black tuft at the end of the tail whisks away flies and other flying insects. Giraffe horns, called ossicones, are bone protuberances covered with skin and fur. Female giraffe horns are thin and tufted; male giraffe horns are thick, but they smoothen their hair by sparring.
A medium-sized horn is common in males and females, while males can grow a second pair behind the first pair of horns. The eyes are enormous, and their 45 cm long black tongue grasps prickly food from the very tops of trees.
They eat soil as well. They are ruminants and have a four-chambered stomach. Chewing cud while traveling helps to maximize their feeding opportunities. These giants with giant features have long tongues, narrow muzzles, and flexible upper lips to help obtain leaves from the tall trees while browsing.
They use many tree species for browse, including Acacia senegal, Mimosa pudica, Combretum micranthum, and Prunus armeniaca. Their primary food is the leaves from Acacia trees. Giraffes browse by taking the branches in their mouths and pulling away the head to tear away the leaves. Acacia trees have thorns, but giraffe molars crush the thorns. An adult male giraffe can consume up to 66 kg of food for one day.
However, in poor-quality areas, a giraffe can survive on 7 kg of food per day. The animal was also hunted in the past, with its tail hairs used in jewellery production while its hides were used to make water buckets.
Giraffes sleep intermittently due to the many risks that they face in the wild. However, for giraffes, each vertebra can be over 24cm in length! It is one of the most popular species in the Park, with the public choosing it as their favourite animal in a recent survey by Behaviour and Attitudes The herd feeds on locally and sustainably grown Willow branches throughout the day as well as a variety of additional foodstuffs including haylage.
There is a long-standing tradition in the park that every calf born in Fota receives an Irish name. Fota Wildlife Park is a not for profit organisation and a registered conservation charity. Learn more about breeding programmes run cooperatively with other zoos and wildlife parks.
The ossicones are covered in skin and fur, although in the case of male giraffes, the fur is often rubbed off due to sparring. The giraffe has the ossicone at birth.
When young, the ossicone lays flat against the head and are not attached to the skull. This prevents both mother and baby from being injured at birth. As the giraffe matures, the ossicones get larger and tougher. Adult males use these as sparring weapons when there are females available for breeding. The sparring process is to establish dominance and does not involve aggressive fighting.
Although sometimes a giraffe will receive injuries, they do not fight as aggressively as the males of many species, and they do not chase the losers of the battle away. While this means the newborn giraffe has quite the fall at birth, there are benefits to this method of birth.
The giraffe is very vulnerable to predators while lying down. Standing up to give birth keeps both mother and baby safer. In addition, the fall from the birth canal helps break the amniotic sac, which is beneficial to the newborn giraffe. Giraffes, in general, prefer hot, sub-Saharan regions of the African continent. The different species of giraffes all prefer similar habitats, which are open forests, grasslands, and savannas. They will range as necessary to find food.
Although giraffes get most of their food from high in the trees, they do not like heavily forested areas. Because of their long necks, areas with heavy forestation are difficult for them to navigate. In addition, one of their strongest defenses against predators is their ability to see a great distance and gallop away before predators get too close.
In areas with heavy growth, they lose this advantage. They also have trouble maneuvering in the tighter confines of heavily forested areas. Learn about giraffe babies with these 17 giraffe baby facts. The home range for a giraffe is between 10 and 50 miles square miles.
The territory of one group of giraffes may overlap that of another, but they are not territorial and do not fight over boundaries. A common problem though is that their natural habitat continues to shrink due to human activities, resulting in a smaller home range. As a result, their food sources are reduced. They can be aggressive if they feel threatened. Males often spar with each other before mating.
After sparring, both winning and losing giraffes continue to inhabit the same territory. Unlike many species, the dominant male does not chase the submissive males away. More reading: 9 Facts About Giraffe Tongues. Giraffes typically congregate in groups of 10 to 20, although they can sometimes form groups with as many as 50 individuals. The groups are made up of all males or females and their young.
Male and female groups only intermingle to breed. As male giraffes mature, they often stop living as part of a group and live a more solitary life. Info for General public School groups and summer camps Groups and corporate offers Current and future sponsors Press area. Where do they live? Did you know? Life expectancy 28 years in captivity. Keep up hope Awareness in Kenya Only Rothschild's giraffes remain in the wild.
See the conservation programme. Return to the page.
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