Giraffe

HISTORY, HABITAT AND FOOD

The giraffes have their origin in Africa. They live in savannahs, pastures and forests. They prefer open forests instead of more closed settings.
They prefer Acacia type trees, which are important sources of calcium and protein needed for their growth. They are also feed by bushes, grasses and fruits.They eat about 34kg of sheets every day. When they are stressed, they chew the branches of trees.During the rainy seasons,  food is abundant. In dry seasons giraffes are concentrated is trees and bushes of perennial trees. The mothers feed their creatures in open areas, to detect predators.The giraffe need less food than other herbivorous animals.The alimentation is concentrated principally during first and last hours of the day.                                                                The height of giraffes has been the subject of several African stories, one relates that giraffe’s necks grow because of eating magic grass.Before, it was believed that they were a mixture of camel and leopard.They were one of the animals captured and exhibited by the romans.

The giraffes continue to have a presence in modern culture. 

They are considerated a symbol of masculinity, and a giraffe on fire is represented as a "cosmic apocalyptic monster."

ANATOMY

The adult giraffes can reach a height of 5-6 meters; adults males are bigger than the females. Their eyes allow them to distinguish colors and their senses of the ears and smells also are sharp. For their protection against the sand storms and the ants, they can close their nasals hole. They have a tongue of 50 cm long. The giraffes are dark purple, possibly to protect themselves against the sun burn. Their tail measures one meter and finishes with a long lock of dark hair that can be used as defense against the insects.

Cranium: Both sex have two structures similar to horns that are used in the male combats. The appearance of the horns permit to distinguish the sex and the age of the giraffe. The craniums of the male are heavier and more similar to a stick of golf when are more aged which helps them to be more dominant in combat. 
The superior jaw have a grooving palate and they have no front teeth.

Legs and position: Their front legs and rears of a giraffe have approximately the same length. Their foot have a diameter of 30 cm, in the males the hoof is 15 cm high and 10 cm in females. Only have two path: walk and hit.
To lay down, the giraffe kneels about her front legs and after descend the rest of the body. 
To get up, they first put the knees and extend stretch her rear legs to stand up. In some cases the giraffes of advanced age sleep standing.

Neck: The giraffes have a long neck, it can reach 2 meters long. Principally after the birth the neck grow, because the females can´t give birth with the adult neck.

NECK

The giraffe has a long neck which can be up to 2 meters high and it is most of the height of the animal.

The neck is the result of the elongation of the cervical vertebrae, and not due to additional vertebrae.

Each cervical vertebra measures more than 28 cm.          

It represents 52-54% of the height of the giraffe.

The elongation of the neck occurs after birth, because otherwise the females would have difficulties when giving birth to the criatures.

There are two main hypotheses about the evolutionary origin and maintenance of the elongation in the neck of the giraffe.

This hypothesis say that’s pressure among giraffes, made the elongation of the neck of the giraffe, to give them access to food.

Because giraffes feed on leaves which are to a height of 4.5 meters.

The second major theory, sexual selection hypothesis, proposes that the long necks evolved as a secondary sexual characteristic, since it gives an advantage to the males for fighting with their necks (necking).

BIRTH OF GIRAFFES

Giraffes are usually found in groups. The most stable groups are composed by  mothers with their calves.

Calves remain with her mother 2 or 3 weeks. The males prefer young females rather than old females. When the male detects the female in heat, the male will try to woo her.

Pregnancy lasts 400-460 days. 

The female usually have one calf but in remote occasions, the female can have twins.

The female has the calf standing. Later the female cleans the newborn.

Baby giraffe has a height about 1,8m or less.

A few hours after the calf can run.

Females are usually grouped in herds.

Adult males don’t have an important role with their calf.

The males reach their sexual maturity when they are 7 years old but the females reach their sexual maturity when they are 3 years old.

Life expectancy is 25 years in the wildness.

NECKING

The males use his necks as a gun in the combat with the rivals, this way of behaving is known with the name <<necking>>.

Necking is used to stable the domination between the males, the males which win this duel has most success with the reproduction.

This behavior is produced in low or high intensity.

In duels of low intensity, the combatants rub and lean with the neck one by one. In the duel of high intensity, the males extend their frontal legs and pivot the neck to hit the opposing male.

After the duel, it is common than the males cares and court to lead the hook up and the climax. The hook up with two males is most common than the hook up with one male and one female.