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Giraffe necks do more than help them reach high leaves in trees. They can keep a lookout for predators, but there is another reason they may have such long necks.
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 ...
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] [62] [35] Adult male reticulated giraffe feeding high on an acacia, in Kenya. The giraffe's neck vertebrae have ball and socket joints.
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.
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 ...
A family's close encounter with a giraffe at a Texas drive-thru safari park was captured on camera, showing the animal plucking a toddler out of the bed of their truck and several feet into the air.
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 ...
They also will 'swat' with their extremely long and strong necks. Male giraffes become aggressive during mating season. If giraffes sense that their babies (calves) are in danger, they will attack ...