Baby giraffe dies of a broken neck at Zoo Miami
A baby giraffe has died of a broken neck at Zoo Miami, zoo officials said.
A baby giraffe has died of a broken neck at Zoo Miami, zoo officials said.
Plants & Animals
Mar 19, 2024
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Giraffes are a beautiful and powerful example of what adaptive evolution can achieve. However, in recent years, they have attained notoriety for a completely different reason: it has been suggested that instead of one giraffe ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 12, 2024
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Crucial new data about the numbers of Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe living within Cameroon's Bénoué National Park has been released, supporting conservation efforts to save the subspecies from extinction.
Plants & Animals
Jan 23, 2024
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A "lonely" giraffe living in harsh conditions in northern Mexico is heading to a safari park to begin a new life after a campaign by animal rights activists.
Plants & Animals
Jan 22, 2024
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Academics and zookeepers in Scotland have teamed up to tackle a tall order: designing the world's first interactive enrichment system for giraffes.
Plants & Animals
Nov 6, 2023
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Iconic animals such as giraffes can be flagship species for conservation because of their charisma and popularity among the public. A new study explored the various threats to giraffe populations, and how specific human actions ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 11, 2023
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Nearly 6,000 years ago, our ancestors climbed arid rocky outcrops in what is now the Nigerian Sahara and carved spectacularly intricate, larger-than-life renditions of giraffes into the exposed sandstone. The remarkably detailed ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 30, 2023
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Poaching of two Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffes per year could result in extinction in just 15 years within Cameroon's Bénoué National Park without intervention. These are the alarming new findings of a University ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 4, 2023
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Giraffes in the East African savannahs are adapting surprisingly well to the rising temperatures caused by climate change. However, they are threatened by increasingly heavy rainfall, as researchers from the University of ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 12, 2023
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Giraffes in eastern Africa may be even more endangered than previously thought. A new study led by researchers at Penn State reveals that populations of Masai giraffes separated geographically by the Great Rift Valley have ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 12, 2023
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The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant. Its scientific name, which is similar to its archaic English name of camelopard, refers to its irregular patches of color on a light background, which bear a vague resemblance to a leopard's spots, and its face, which is similar to that of a camel. In addition to these features, the giraffe is noted for its extremely long neck and legs and prominent horns. It stands 5–6 meters (16–20 ft) tall and has an average weight of 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lb) for males and 830 kilograms (1,800 lb) for females. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. There are nine subspecies of giraffe, which differ in size, coloration, pattern and range.
The giraffe's range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east, but it is very scattered. Giraffes usually inhabit savannas, grasslands and open woodlands. They prefer areas with plenty of acacia trees, which are important food sources. Thanks to their extreme height, giraffes can browse for vegetation that most other herbivores cannot reach. They are also nearly invulnerable to predation, although lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, wild dogs and Nile crocodiles prey on calves, and lions take adults in some areas. Although they commonly gather together, giraffe aggregations usually disband every few hours. Male giraffes use their necks to hit each other in combat, a behavior known as "necking". Males mate with multiple females. Females bear the sole responsibility for raising their young.
The giraffe has been prized by various cultures, both ancient and modern, for its peculiar appearance, and has often featured in paintings, novels and cartoons. Despite its popularity, it has been extirpated from many parts of its former range, and some subspecies are classified as endangered. Nevertheless, it is still found in numerous reserves. As a species, the giraffe is classified by the IUCN as Least Concern.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA