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The giraffe's head and neck are held up by large muscles and a nuchal ligament, which are anchored by long thoracic vertebrae spines, giving them a hump. [17] [63] [36] Adult male reticulated giraffe feeding high on an acacia, in Kenya. The giraffe's neck vertebrae have ball and socket joints.
When they lie down, they fold their legs under their bodies and keep their necks held high. Giraffe necks do more than help them reach high leaves in trees. They can keep a lookout for predators ...
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.
The reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata [3] or Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata [4]) is a species/subspecies of giraffe native to the Horn of Africa.It is differentiated from other types of giraffe by its coat, which consists of large, polygonal (or squared), block-like spots, which extend onto the lower legs, tail and face.
The post Listen and Find Out Why Giraffes Hum appeared first on A-Z Animals. ... Eating Well. Our 20 most saved smoothie recipes. Lighter Side. Lighter Side. Good Morning America.
Males often mark territories and bushes with their urine, while females use common defecation sites. Grooming is a common practice, focused at the earlobes and the neck. Okapis often rub their necks against trees, leaving a brown exudate. [27] The male is protective of his territory, but allows females to pass through the domain to forage.
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.
The vast majority of reticulated giraffes live in Kenya, and their population is estimated at 15,985, according to USFWS. There are around 45,400 Masai giraffes — an amount roughly equivalent to ...