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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.
The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae. The okapi stands about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall at the shoulder and has a typical body length around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). Its weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg (440 to 770 lb). It has a long neck, and large, flexible ears.
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).
The giraffe's neck is elongated by heterochrony, extension of the time for the embryonic development of these bones. [ 4 ] By convention, the cervical vertebrae are numbered, with the first one (C1) closest to the skull and higher numbered vertebrae (C2–C7) proceeding away from the skull and down the spine.
In okapi, the male's ossicones are smaller in proportion to the head, and taper towards their tips, forming a sharper point than the comparatively blunt giraffe ossicone. Whereas female giraffes have reduced ossicones, female okapi lack ossicones entirely. The morphology of ossicones in the extinct relatives of giraffes and okapi varies widely.
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 have one of the shortest sleep durations among all land mammals, and according to Wildlife FAQ, "On average, adult giraffes sleep for about 30 minutes a night, and their sleep cycles are ...
The total length of the body (also bill-to-tail length) of a bird is usually measured from dead specimens before being skinned for preservation. The measurement is made by laying the bird on its back, stretching out the neck, making the beak point forward, and measuring between the tip of the bill and the tip of the tail.