Explore new
heights and enter the amazing world of giraffes!
This
mammal is part of the Giraffidae family in the genus Giraffa, and is the tallest animal in the world, ranging from
sixteen to twenty feet tall. This animal’s species name is G. camelopardalis, but is
commonly referred to as giraffe. Giraffes are well known for their extremely long
necks, which has sparked interest in the science world from very early on. In
fact, in the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck theorized that
giraffes’ necks were acquired characteristics. In other words, over generations
as giraffes strived to reach higher leaves, their necks naturally grew. However,
this theory was eventually disproved, and scientists now believe giraffes’ long
necks arose through natural selection. This means that those giraffes that had longer
necks had access to more food and were more likely to survive and reproduce.
Around
30 to 50 million years ago, an animal similar to an antelope could be found in
the plains of Asia and Europe. This animal is thought to be the original
ancestor of the two enduring members of the family Giraffidae; the giraffe and
okapi. Around seven million years ago, Giraffa
migrated to Africa, and due climate changes Asian giraffes became extinct while
the African ones survived. The changes in biome from dense forests to savannas
are believed to have lead to the evolution of modern day giraffes beginning
eight million years ago. As stated above, the closest living relative to the
giraffe is the okapi. This animal has a similar body shape, but a much shorter
neck. The giraffe and the okapi both have fur covered horns, specialized teeth
and tongues, and a ruminating four-chambered stomach. An advantage of a
ruminating stomach is that both animals can chew their food, regurgitate it,
and chew it again to allow for more optimal digestion.
Most
giraffe species today are found in Southern Africa in savannas, grasslands, and
open woodlands. Compared to their shorter relative who lives in dense forests,
these areas are optimal for giraffes to move about freely without many
obstructions to their height. I hope this gives you a little background
information on our amazing animal. There are so many more interesting things to
discover about the giraffe, so stay tuned!
Interesting fact of the week: The average height of
giraffes’ legs is six feet tall, taller than most humans!
"Giraffe - The Facts." GCF
Home. Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.giraffeconservation.org/giraffe_facts.php?pgid=51>.
"Giraffe." Animals.
National Geographic. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.
<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giraffe/>.
"Okapi Pictures." Learn
Animals - A Library of the Worlds Animals. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.learnanimals.com/okapi/pictures.php>.
"San Diego Zoo's Animal Bytes:
Giraffe." San Diego Zoo. Web. 04 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giraffe.html>.
It seems interesting to me that they have a ruminating stomach, could their need to digest the food so thoroughly have emerged from the scarce amount of vegetation that was available to them?
ReplyDeleteI wonder why only some members of the Giraffa genus migrated to Africa if it is so well suited for their survival. Was there something that could have caused certain giraffes to migrate and others to remain in one place?
ReplyDelete