Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals; males (bulls) may exceed 5.5 metres (18 feet) in height, and the tallest females (cows) are about 4.5 metres. Corrections? While some ancient giraffids, such as Sivatherium, had massive bodies, others, such as Giraffokeryx, Palaeotragus (possible ancestor of the okapi), Samotherium, and Bohlinia, were more elongated. The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. Calves sample vegetation at three weeks but suckle for 18–22 months. layout on your weblog. Other African names for the giraffe include ekorii (Ateso), kanyiet (Elgon), nduida (Gikuyu), tiga (Kalenjin and Luo), ndwiya (Kamba), nudululu (Kihehe), ntegha (Kinyaturu), ondere (Lugbara), etiika (Luhya), kuri (Ma’di), oloodo-kirragata or olchangito-oodo (Maasai), lenywa (Meru), hori (Pare), lment (Samburu) and twiga (Swahili and others) in the east; and tutwa (Lozi), nthutlwa (Shangaan), indlulamitsi (Siswati), thutlwa (Sotho), thuda (Venda) and ndlulamithi (Zulu) in the south. With the changing of season and health, the coat color may be altered. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. The species name camelopardalis is from Latin. Accumulation of bone deposits continues through life, resulting in skulls weighing 30 kg. The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. Required fields are marked *. Their closest known relatives are the extinct climacocerids. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Many Ruminantia have been described from the mid-Eocene in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and North America. Arabs say of a good horse that it can “outpace a giraffe.”. Giraffes are a common sight in grasslands and open woodlands in East Africa, where they can be seen in reserves such as Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. Speeds of 50 km (31 miles) per hour can be maintained for several kilometres, but 60 km (37 miles) per hour can be attained over short distances. During the 19th and 20th centuries, overhunting, habitat destruction, and rinderpest epidemics introduced by European livestock reduced giraffes to less than half their former range. Its species name refers to its camel-like shape and its leopard-like coloring. Cows have food and water requirements that may keep them away from the nursery group for hours at a time, and about half of very young calves are killed by lions and hyenas. If the foliage is not thorny, the giraffe “combs” leaves from the stem by pulling it across the lower canine and incisor teeth. Females first breed at four or five years of age. Paintings of giraffes appear on early Egyptian tombs; just as today, giraffe tails were prized for the long wiry tuft hairs used to weave belts and jewelry. Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle. Disclaimer: Etymology Bohlinia entered China and northern India in response to climate change. The giraffe grasps leaves with its prehensile lips or tongue and pulls them into the mouth. Omissions? ("Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia", 2003) Giraffa camelopardalis have long, sturdy legs, with their front legs longer than their back legs. Giraffes live up to 26 years in the wild and slightly longer in captivity. The name “giraffe” has its earliest known origins in the Arabic word zarafa (????? Giraffes grow to nearly their full height by age four. There are only seven neck (cervical) vertebrae, but they are elongated. The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. Giraffes usually inhabit savannas, grasslands, and open woodlands. The animals are gregarious, a behaviour that apparently allows for increased vigilance against predators. Desc: The northern giraffe, also known as three-horned giraffe, is the type species of giraffe native to North Africa.In the current IUCN taxonomic scheme, there is only one species of giraffe with the name G. camelopardalis and nine subspecies, but alternative taxonomic hypotheses have proposed two to eleven species. The giraffe has intrigued various cultures, both ancient and modern, for its peculiar appearance, and has often been featured in paintings, books, and cartoons. “Camelopard” is an archaic English name for the giraffe deriving from the Ancient Greek for camel and leopard, animals which the giraffe was thought to resemble. Giraffes are preyed on by lions; their calves are also targeted by leopards, spotted hyenas, and wild dogs. Updates? Northern giraffe Animal. I am extremely impressed with your writing abilities as neatly as with the The giraffe was one of the many species first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
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