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[123]: 45 [124] How the giraffe got its height has been the subject of various African folktales. [10] The Tugen people of modern Kenya used the giraffe to depict their god Mda. [125] The Egyptians gave the giraffe its own hieroglyph; 'sr' in Old Egyptian and 'mmy' in later periods. [123]: 49 Giraffes have a presence in modern Western culture.
Although the okapi has striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. 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).
An adult giraffe head can weigh 30 kg (66 lb), and if necessary, male giraffes establish a hierarchy among themselves by swinging their heads at each other, horns first, a behavior known as "necking". A subordinate okapi signals submission by placing its head and neck on the ground. Giraffes are sociable, whereas okapis live mainly solitary lives.
Compared to their moms, baby giraffes might seem tiny, but newborns like giraffes can be born standing at a whopping 6 feet tall. Although they may appear large, baby giraffes are typically pretty ...
San Diego Zoo shared a video on Saturday, April 6th of their newest baby giraffe named Elliott as he takes a rest by 'folding' himself up. Well, folding isn't the actual term, but it's way cuter ...
A Penn State researcher has been trying to get to the bottom of the age-old question of why giraffes have long necks. Focus on research: Female giraffes drove the evolution of long necks, new ...
Often mistaken with the Southern Giraffes, Northern giraffes can be differentiated by the shape and size of the two distinctive horn-like protuberances known as ossicones on their foreheads; they are longer and larger than those of southern giraffes. Bull Northern giraffes have a third cylindrical ossicone in the center of the head just above ...
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.