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It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs, the flat, wedge-like head and the large, round eyes. Males are nearly 89–105 cm (35– 41 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) tall, and the shorter females 80–100 cm (31–39 in); the head-and-body length is typically between 140 and 160 cm (55 and 63 in). Males weigh between 31 and 52 kg (68 and 115 lb ...
The giraffe has an extremely elongated neck, which can be up to 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) in length. [61] Along the neck is a mane made of short, erect hairs. [17] The neck typically rests at an angle of 50–60 degrees, though juveniles are closer to 70 degrees.
A Penn State researcher has been trying to get to the bottom of the age-old question of why giraffes have long necks. Skip to main content. Sign in. Mail. 24/7 Help. For premium support please ...
The long neck of the giraffe is often used as an example in popular explanations of Lamarckism. However, this was only a small part of his theory of evolution towards "perfection"; it was a hypothetical illustration; and he used it to discuss his theory of heredity, not evolution. [2]
The okapi's neck is long compared to most ruminants, but not nearly so long as the giraffe's. Male giraffes are the tallest of all mammals: their horns reach 5.5 m (18 ft) above the ground and their shoulder 3.3 m (11 ft), whereas the okapi has a shoulder height of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in). [9]
Rather than taking advantage of this, the opposing giraffe lines up head-to-toe, or head-to-head with the other giraffe. Each giraffe gets to fight from their preferred side.
Giraffes gain their long necks by a different heterochrony, extending the development of their cervical vertebrae; they retain the usual mammalian number of these vertebrae, seven. [1] This number appears to be constrained by the use of neck somites to form the mammalian diaphragm muscle; the result is that the embryonic neck is divided into ...
As another example, the long neck of a giraffe brings benefits but at a cost. The neck of a giraffe can be up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length. [83] The benefits are that it can be used for inter-species competition or for foraging on tall trees where shorter herbivores cannot reach.