Thanks to the combination of a sepia color and long bodies, giraffes can be glimpsed from a long distance. Measuring up to 6 meters tall and weighing about 2,000 kilograms, these animals are considered the tallest mammals on the planet..
Each giraffe subspecies is characterized by having a different coat; even, each member has a unique pattern of mosaics that is not repeated in any other individual. Its adaptation has benefited the evolution of each specimen with the sole purpose of continuing in this world.
Apart from being very tall, giraffes have extraordinary characteristics.. His great height is, ironically, a small part of his impressive profile. Because they are not animals that take center stage in the wild, they are often overlooked.
However, our purpose is to draw attention to these fantastic animals and show that they could also be the kings of nature. So, we leave you with…
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9 amazing characteristics of giraffes
What their horns actually look like are protrusions covered in skin and hair. These mounds of skin protect your head from injury and are better known as ossicones.
A giraffe’s neck has exactly the same number of vertebrae as a human being, that is, seven. The difference is that their bones are long.
Until now, only four species of giraffe have been recorded: southern, northern, Masai, and reticulated.
Name giraffe is the Latin name for the word camelopard, which comes from the combination between «camel» and «leopard». Formerly it was believed that these animals were very similar to the giraffe.
Giraffes currently live only in Africa, but are believed to have evolved in south-central Europe about 8 million years ago.
Baby giraffes measure about 1.8 meters at birth, for this reason the mother is standing up at the time of delivery (although the truth is that they rarely lie down).
A giraffe can sleep between 10 minutes and 2 hours a day maximum. And yes: they sleep standing up.
In the absence of sleep, giraffes eat. These animals spend about 20 hours a day feeding, although it should be noted that they cannot ingest more than 30 kilograms of foliage in all that time. In addition, they eat about 93 different plant species.
A giraffe lives for around 20 to 25 years under the right conditions. They are usually easy prey when they are very young, but once they are grown few predators dare to harm them.
Keep reading: Gynandromorphic animals: a look at organisms with 2 sexes
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