Differences Between Males and Females

Battle of The Sexes

     When you look at a male and female giraffe they are almost impossible to tell apart, except for the fact that males are bigger than females. Here are a couple of distinctions between male and female giraffes that we found interesting:

     Male giraffes weigh about 3,500 pounds and females weigh about 1,800 pounds. Both male and female giraffes range between 16-20 feet tall. The males are usually taller than the females.

     The distinct horns (technically called ossicones) on a giraffe’s head differ between sexes. Female ossicones are usually covered in hair, while the male ossicones are bald on top. To establish dominance, males engage in a behavior called necking. Males will swing their necks and use their horns to hit another male for access to fertile females. With increased impact, the hairs on males’ ossicones wear down. Because females rarely fight, their hairs remain in tact.

           

              Female                                                                       Male

          

     

     Males develop calcium deposits that form bumps on their skulls as they age, which makes it look as though they have additional horns. These calcium deposits help to protect a male's head during a fight.

     Female calves (young giraffes) usually remain close to their original home range once they grow and mature. Male calves are more likely to migrate to other herds away from their home range.

Interesting Fact of the Week: Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. 

Works Cited

"Facts About Giraffes." About.com: Animals / Wildlife. Web. 05 Apr. 2012. <http://animals.about.com/od/hoofedmammals/a/tenfactsgiraffes.htm>.

"Giraffe - The Facts." Nature-Wildlife. Web. 05 Apr. 2012. <http://www.nature-wildlife.com/girextra.htm>.

"How Do You Tell The Difference Between a Male Giraffe and a Female Giraffe?" Blog Spot. Web. 05 Apr. 2012. <http://myfloatleft.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-do-you-tell-difference-between-male.html>.