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A prehensile tail. Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ that has adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term prehendere, meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely derived from a number of different origins. The most common are tree-climbing and the need to manipulate food. [1] Giraffe's ...
Classed within the infraorder Pecora, the closest extant relative of giraffes is the elusive okapi (Okapia johnstoni) of Central Africa, with both species possessing a long, black, prehensile tongue for browsing foliage as well as ossicones, the bony, horn-like skull growths on the animal’s forehead (often tipped with tufts of fur). A common ...
The extant giraffids, the forest-dwelling okapi and the savannah-living giraffe, have several features in common, including a pair of skin-covered horns, called ossicones, up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long (absent in female okapis); a long, black, prehensile tongue; lobed canine teeth; patterned coats acting as camouflage; and a back sloping towards ...
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 25 November 2024. Species of mammal This article is about the animal. For other uses, see Okapi (disambiguation). Okapi Male okapi at Beauval Zoo Female okapi at Zoo Miami Conservation status Endangered (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class ...
Like the giraffe, the okapi uses its long, prehensile tongue to pluck leaves and buds from trees," the Cincinnati Zoo's website states. Okapis walk like giraffes, swinging forward both legs on the ...
The Masai giraffe's most famous feature, its neck, contains seven vertebrae and makes up roughly one third of its body height. Its long and muscular tongue, which can be up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in length, is prehensile and allows it to grab leaves from tall trees that are inaccessible to other animals.
Giraffe populations are in trouble — and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday proposed listing three subspecies of the tall animals as endangered and two species as threatened under ...
The giraffe's tongue is about 45 cm (18 in) long. It is black, perhaps to protect against sunburn, and can grasp foliage and delicately pick off leaves. [ 49 ] : 109–110 The upper lip is flexible and hairy to protect against sharp prickles. [ 17 ]