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Further, young giraffes are much more vulnerable to predation than adults: between 60% and 75% of calves die within a year. [12] Mothers hide their calves, which spend much of the time lying down in cover. Since the presence of a mother does not affect survival, Mitchell suggests that young giraffes must be extremely well camouflaged.
The video above shows the fascinating way male giraffes fight. Known as “necking” the giraffes use their long and powerful necks to attack, delivering hard blows with each hit.
There is a strong evolutionary pressure for prey animals to avoid predators through camouflage, and for predators to be able to detect camouflaged prey. There can be a self-perpetuating coevolution, in the shape of an evolutionary arms race, between the perceptive abilities of animals attempting to detect the cryptic animal and the cryptic characteristics of the hiding species.
At the second level, an animal performs a programmed act of behaviour, as when a prey animal feigns death to avoid being eaten. At the third level, the deceptive behaviour is at least partially learnt, as when a bird puts on a distraction display , feigning injury to lure a predator away from a nest.
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 ...
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Some authors have argued that adult giraffes are cryptic, since when standing among trees and bushes they are hard to see at even a few metres' distance. [55] However, adult giraffes move about to gain the best view of an approaching predator, relying on their size and ability to defend themselves, even from lions, rather than on camouflage. [55]
Find out all about giraffes as Nairobi's Giraffe Manor