Giraffe

The northern giraffe is a species of giraffe, and is considered the type species of the genus. Whilst three other giraffe species were once considered subspecies of the conglomerate Giraffa camelopardalis species, recent studies have identified the northern giraffe as one of the four separate species of a reorganised Giraffa genus. This species is composed of three subspecies: the Nubian giraffe (G. c. camelopardalis), Kordofan giraffe (G.c antiquorom) and West African giraffe (G.c. peralta). Around 4,550 individuals from all subspecies are currently present in the wild. The Giraffe has an enormously long neck which allows it to exploit the leaves and vegetation that are too high up for other animals to find. Despite their length, the neck of the Giraffe actually contains the same number of bones as numerous other hoofed mammals but they are simply longer in shape. The Giraffe's elongated neck leads into a short body, with long and thin, straight legs and a long tail that is tipped with a black tuft that helps to keep flies away. The Giraffe tends to be white in colour with brown or reddish markings that cover it's body (with the exception of their white lower legs). The markings of each Giraffe are not only unique to that individual but they also vary greatly between the different Giraffe species in size, colour and the amount of white that surrounds them. All Giraffes though have large eyes that along with their height give them excellent vision, and small horn-like ossicones on the top of their heads. Previously found even in North Africa, today the remaining Giraffe populations are restricted to parts of sub-Saharan Africa with the largest concentrations being found in National Parks. Giraffes inhabit open woodlands and savannah where using their height they are able to see for great distances around them to watch out for approaching danger. The nine different Giraffe species are found in varying countries on the continent, each exploiting their local ecological niche. Due to the fact that Giraffes feed on vegetation that is high in the trees but also too woody for the mouths of smaller herbivores, they are also able to remain in areas where domestic grazing has obliterated the plant species close to the ground, forcing the species that feed on them to move on. Giraffes throughout Africa though have been drastically affected by the loss of vast regions of their natural habitats. The Giraffe is a herbivorous animal that has evolved to be the height that it is so that it has less competition for food on the higher branches of the canopy. Giraffes are known to eat up to 60 different species of plant throughout the year and do so by grabbing onto branches with their long, black tongue (that can grow up to 18 inches long) and using their tough prehensile lips and flattened, grooved teeth are able to strip the leaves off the branches. Giraffes most commonly eat from acacia trees but also browse for wild apricots, flowers, fruits and buds along with eating seeds and fresh grass just after the rains. Giraffes get 70% of their moisture from their food so need to drink very little but when they do come across clean water, they must splay their front legs (which are longer than the back) in order to get their head close enough to the ground to drink. The large size of the Giraffe means that it must spend a great deal of time eating which it tends to do the most during the more tolerable heat of the morning and evening. During the hot midday sun, Giraffes rest in more shaded regions where they (like a number of their relatives) regurgitate their food known as cud, before then consuming it again. Small herds comprised of a number of females and their young spend both the day and night together to protect their offspring from predators, but male Giraffes are much more solitary often roaming over large areas in search of a fertile female. If however they come into contact with a rival male, the two will begin to bump heads and interlock their necks as a way of establishing a dominance hierarchy, with the winner earning the right to mate with the local females. Giraffes breed year round and after finding a female to mate with, the male Giraffe will resume his solitary ways. After a gestation period that lasts for 15 months, the female Giraffe gives birth to a single infant (twins are rare) that already stands at two meters tall and has it's unique markings. Giraffe calves look the same as adult Giraffes but simply become even bigger and more elongated as the grow and mature. After birth, the female Giraffe will often keep her calf away from the rest of the herd for an average of 15 days and the calf will then be weaned when it is just over a year old. Male Giraffes are able to breed a year later than females, but are sometimes not successful until they are nearly eight years old. Although both male and female young Giraffes will join small groups males tend to become more solitary with age, where females remain together but will often wander between different herds. Despite being the tallest land animal in the world, the Giraffe is actually preyed upon by a number of large carnivores that co-inhabit the dry savannah. Lions are the primarily predators of the Giraffe that use the strength of the whole pride to catch their victim, but they are also preyed upon by Leopards and Hyenas. Giraffes rely on the vast open plains so that they can have the best view possible of their surroundings but if a predators does get too close, Giraffes kick their attacker with their large, heavy feet to defend themselves. Young calves however, are much more vulnerable and rely on the protection of their mother and the herd. Sadly though, around 50% of young Giraffes do not make it past the age of 6 months due to predation. All Giraffes are also threatened by hunting from Humans with populations having completely disappeared from certain areas.