These huge hooves prevent giraffes from sinking into loose sand despite their great weight. Therefore the giraffe was supposedly the only mammal in the world that could not swim indeed, the authoritative Handbook of the Mammals of the World states bluntly that it cannot. But this is probably wrong. A study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology used a complex digital model to prove that the average adult giraffe would, in fact, become buoyant in 2.
Admittedly its heavy front legs would tip the animal forward, so to keep its head clear it would need to crank its neck backwards at an awkward angle, while the legs, swept to the rear, would have limited power. So a giraffe could theoretically swim, but it would almost certainly never choose to, and it would be pretty terrible at it anyway. Can They Swim? They only fuse with the skull later in life. Giraffe horns become formidable weapons in adult males, worn bare of skin at the tips — old bulls may even have patches of bare bone elsewhere on their massive, craggy heads.
Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffes have the same pattern. Researchers who spend long enough studying the same giraffes eventually find that they can recognise dozens or even hundreds of individuals from their patterns. Giraffe tongues are huge! When fighting, male giraffes will push and shove against each other. This occasionally escalates into powerful blows delivered by their muscular necks. The loser can be knocked out, and sometimes even killed. A giraffe heart can weigh approximately 11kg, making it the biggest of any land mammal.
It can pump 60 litres of blood around its body every minute at a blood pressure twice that of an average human. Find out more about the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Home Animal Facts Mammals Giraffe guide: species facts, lifespan and habitat. More related content: Giraffes are not one species, but four, according to a new study Why are giant pandas black and white? Giraffes under a tree, silhouetted against the sunset in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Giraffe drinking from a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia.
A giraffe showing off its tongue — perfect for picking the leaves from acacia trees! Reticulated giraffes have some of the most distinctive patterns, with big, bold brown patches interlaced by a complex web of white lines.
Even adult male giraffe are sometime predated by lion, while sub-adults and calves are particularly vulnerable and can also be taken by hyena, leopard, wild dog and crocodile. As an example, the infant mortality rate in the Serengeti Masai giraffe — G.
Once mature, the defensive kick of an adult giraffe is enough to seriously damage even the most determined predator, and many a lion has succumbed to the fierceness of their dinner plate size hooves.
Proudly wear your support for GCF! Proceeds from every sale help fund our conservation work in Africa. We promise not to clutter your inbox. You'll receive our news updates once every 2 months. It's the best way to learn about our work and how you can get involved! In the past, the giraffe was called a "camel-leopard," named such because of the small hump on its back and the animal's spotted fur. The giraffe's species name comes from a combination of the two animals.
For the most part, giraffes are social animals. A herd of about 40 giraffes is composed of mostly females and calves, some bulls as well. Young male giraffes travel together and older males are more solitary and like to live alone. Healthy giraffes can live about 20 to 25 years in the wild. In captivity, they can live 28 years or longer. Many giraffes don't make it into adulthood because more than half of all calves are killed by lions, hyenas or other predators within their first year.
A giraffe has different features that help it stay safe from predators. The giraffe is fast, tall and strong, and therefore doesn't have many enemies. Lions, hyenas and the Nile Crocodile are the major predators of the giraffe. The giraffe uses its speed to get away. Running close to 30 mph, the giraffe can usually escape its enemies. However, a giraffe can only keep up that speed for a short distance.
A lion will try to knock the giraffe down from its long legs, after the giraffe tires. Another feature that helps keep the giraffe safe is its long neck. It can provide the giraffe with a good view of the terrain and can spot lions or hyenas in the distance. The giraffe is also powerful.
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