Giraffe

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Giraffa camelopardalis

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Family: Giraffidae
Genus: Giraffa
Species: Giraffa camelopardalis


Subspecies:
Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi (Rothschild's giraffe)
Giraffa camelopardalis peralta (West African giraffe)
 Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis (Angolan giraffe)
 Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata (reticulated giraffe)
 Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi (Masai giraffe)
Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa (South African giraffe)

Description:
Giraffe are hoofed mammals with long legs and a long neck. Their skin is a patchwork of dark chestnut spots separated by thin cream colored lines. Their coloration varies slightly, with various subspecies having less disinct spots or spots that can vary from a yellowish color to black.



Giraffes are well adapted to graze leaves and fruit from the branches of trees. Their elongated tounge and long neck enable them to extend up to 18 feet when reaching upward among vegetation. Specialized teeth help them to efficiently strip leaves from a branch.
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. Its species name refers to its camel-like appearance and the patches of color on its fur. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. It stands 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall and has an average weight of 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) for males and 830 kg (1,830 lb) for females. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. The nine subspecies are distinguished by their coat patterns.

The giraffe's scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannas, grasslands, and open woodlands. Their primary food source is acacia leaves, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach. Giraffes are preyed on by lions, and calves are also targeted by leopards, spotted hyenas, and wild dogs. Adult giraffes do not have strong social bonds, though they do gather in loose aggregations if they happen to be moving in the same general direction. Males establish social hierarchies through "necking", which are combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear the sole responsibility for raising the young.

The giraffe has intrigued various cultures, both ancient and modern, for its peculiar appearance, and has often been featured in paintings, books, and cartoons. It is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Least Concern, but has been extirpated from many parts of its former range, and some subspecies are classified as Endangered. Nevertheless, giraffes are still found in numerous national parks and game reserves.

Skeleton:

References:
animals.about.com/od/hoofedmammals/p/giraffe.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe

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DANISH ZOO KILLS GIRAFFE, FEEDS BODY TO LIONS.

www.cnn.com/2014/02/09/world/europe/denmark-zoo-giraffe/

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this is the mention of launching an eland i was talking about in the giraffe v cape buffalo thread

From the kingdon field guide to african mammals

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Info on the largest (and average)adult wild giraffes from Wood(1977)

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DNA reveals that giraffes are four species — not one
"One of the most iconic animals in Africa has a secret. A genetic analysis suggests that the giraffe is not one species, but 4 separate ones — a finding that could alter how conservationists protect these animals.

Researchers previously split giraffes into several subspecies on the basis of their coat patterns and where they lived. Closer inspection of their genes, however, reveals that giraffes should actually be divided into four distinct lineages that don’t interbreed in the wild, researchers report on 8 September in Current Biology1. Previous genetic studies2 have suggested that there were discrete giraffe populations that rarely intermingled, but this is the first to detect species-level differences, says Axel Janke, a geneticist at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, and the study’s senior author.

“It was an amazing finding,” he says. He notes that giraffes are highly mobile, wide-ranging animals that would have many chances to interbreed in the wild if they were so inclined: “The million-dollar question is what kept them apart in the past.” Janke speculates that rivers or other physical barriers kept populations separate long enough for new species to arise.

Ruminating on ruminants
The study tracked the distribution of 7 specific genetic sequences — chosen to enable researchers to measure genetic diversity — in nuclear DNA from skin biopsies of 190 giraffes. They also looked at the animals’ mitochondrial DNA. The sequences fell into four distinct patterns that strongly suggested separate species. Janke says that each of the four species is about as different from each other as the brown bear (Ursus arctos) is from the polar bear (Ursus maritimus).

The researchers suggest replacing the current species name, Giraffa camelopardalis, with four new ones: the southern giraffe (G. giraffa), found mainly in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana; the Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi) of Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia; the reticulated giraffe (G. reticulata) found mainly in Kenya, Somalia and southern Ethiopia; and the northern giraffe (G. camelopardalis), found in scattered groups in the central and eastern parts of the continent. The one remaining subspecies is the Nubian giraffe (G. camelopardalis camelopardalis) of Ethiopia and South Sudan. It is a distinct subspecies of the northern giraffe.

“This study is pretty persuasive,” says George Amato, a conservation biologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, who has conducted extensive research on the genetics of African wildlife. “I applaud the science and what it adds to our understanding of African biogeography.”

Janke says that the findings have obvious implications for conservation: all of the giraffe species must be protected, with special attention paid to the northern and reticulated giraffe. Each of those species has fewer than 10,000 individuals. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, the overall number of giraffes has dropped from more than 140,000 in the late 1990s to fewer than 80,000 today, largely because of habitat loss and hunting."

www.nature.com/news/dna-reveals-that-giraffes-are-four-species-not-one-1.20567

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Multi-locus Analyses Reveal Four Giraffe Species Instead of One


Summary
Traditionally, one giraffe species and up to eleven subspecies have been recognized ^[1]; however, nine subspecies are commonly accepted^[2]. Even after a century of research, the distinctness of each giraffe subspecies remains unclear, and the genetic variation across their distribution range has been incompletely explored. Recent genetic studies on mtDNA have shown reciprocal monophyly of the matrilines among seven of the nine assumed subspecies [^3,4]. Moreover, until now, genetic analyses have not been applied to biparentally inherited sequence data and did not include data from all nine giraffe subspecies. We sampled natural giraffe populations from across their range in Africa, and for the first time individuals from the nominate subspecies, the Nubian giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis Linnaeus 1758 ^[5], were included in a genetic analysis. Coalescence-based multi-locus and population genetic analyses identify at least four separate and monophyletic clades, which should be recognized as four distinct giraffe species under the genetic isolation criterion. Analyses of 190 individuals from maternal and biparental markers support these findings and further suggest subsuming Rothschild’s giraffe into the Nubian giraffe, as well as Thornicroft’s giraffe into the Masai giraffe ^[6]. A giraffe survey genome produced valuable data from microsatellites, mobile genetic elements, and accurate divergence time estimates. Our findings provide the most inclusive analysis of giraffe relationships to date and show that their genetic complexity has been underestimated, highlighting the need for greater conservation efforts for the world’s tallest mammal.
www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(16)30787-4?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982216307874%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

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Devastating decline for the giraffe (excerpt)

Over 700 newly recognized bird species have been assessed for the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM, and 11% of them are threatened with extinction. The update also reveals a devastating decline for the giraffe, driven by habitat loss, civil unrest and illegal hunting. The global giraffe population has plummeted by up to 40% over the last 30 years, and the species has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The iconic giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), one of the world's most recognisable animals and the tallest land mammal, is now threatened with extinction. The species, which is widespread across southern and eastern Africa, with smaller isolated subpopulations in west and central Africa, has moved from Least Concern to Vulnerable due to a dramatic 36-40% decline from approximately 151,702-163,452 individuals in 1985 to 97,562 in 2015.

The growing human population is having a negative impact on many giraffe subpopulations. Illegal hunting, habitat loss and changes through expanding agriculture and mining, increasing human-wildlife conflict, and civil unrest are all pushing the species towards extinction. Of the nine subspecies of giraffe, three have increasing populations, whilst five have decreasing populations and one is stable.

A resolution adopted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in September this year called for action to reverse the decline of the giraffe.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161208162455.htm

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Osteological foot differences between giraffes from distinct geographical locations; a pilot study

Description of some osteological differences in the tarsal joint between the two giraffes possibly belonging to the species: Giraffa camelopardalis antiquitorum and Giraffa reticulata. This is a pilot study until more individuals are studied. Differences are presented in the fibula, calcaneus, and astragalus. Other bones possess differences but are not covered in this study. There is also a difference in the degree of dorsiflexion of the tarsal joint. In G. reticulata, unlike G. camelopardalis, the lateral malleolar process of the astragalus is larger and is used as a support for the plantarflexed tarsal joint during forward propulsion. The lateral malleolar process is larger, the astragalocalcaneal ligament is more expanded, the sustentaculum tali is more developed, and the tarsal joint is more flexible in G. reticulata. The descending process of the fibula is also stronger as an additional support system to stabilize the tarsal joint. Prodremotherium is a model of the ancestral taxon to the entire family of Giraffidae. These two Giraffa species are compared to Okapia and Prodremotherium, and the okapi is not an intermediate between Prodremotherium and Giraffa based on the osteology of the tarsal joint.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044523122000018

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Low effective mechanical advantage of giraffes’ limbs during walking reveals trade-off between limb length and locomotor performance

Giraffes are the tallest living animals, using their height to access food unavailable to their competitors. It is not clear how their specialized anatomy impacts their athletic ability. We made musculoskeletal models of the forelimbs from a giraffe and two close relatives and used motion-capture and force data to measure how efficient they are when walking in a straight line. A horse, for example, uses just 1 unit of muscle force to oppose 1 unit of force on the ground. Giraffe limbs are comparatively disadvantaged—their muscles must develop 3 units of force to oppose 1 unit of force on the ground. This explains why giraffes walk and run at modest speeds.

Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) possess specialized locomotor morphology, namely elongate and gracile distal limbs. While this contributes to their overall height and enhances feeding behavior, we propose that the combination of long limb segments and modest muscle lever arms results in low effective mechanical advantage (EMA, the ratio of in-lever to out-lever moment arms), when compared with other cursorial mammals. To test this, we used a combination of experimentally measured kinematics and ground reaction forces (GRFs), musculoskeletal modeling, and inverse dynamics to calculate giraffe forelimb EMA during walking. Giraffes walk with an EMA of 0.34 (±0.05 SD), with no evident association with speed within their walking gait. Giraffe EMA was about four times lower than expectations extrapolated from other mammals, ranging from 0.03 to 297 kg, and this provides further evidence that EMA plateaus or even diminishes in mammals exceeding horse size. We further tested the idea that limb segment length is a factor which determines EMA, by modeling the GRF and muscle moment arms in the extinct giraffid Sivatherium giganteum and the other extant giraffid, Okapia johnstoni. Giraffa and Okapia shared similar EMA, despite a four to sixfold difference in body mass (Okapia EMA = 0.38). In contrast, Sivatherium, sharing a similar body mass with Giraffa, had greater EMA (0.59), which we propose reflects behavioral differences, such as a somewhat increased capability for athletic performance. Our modeling approach suggests that limb length is a determinant of GRF moment arm magnitude and that unless muscle moment arms scale isometrically with limb length, tall mammals are prone to low EMA.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2108471119

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Sparring dynamics and individual laterality in male South African giraffes

Sparring by male giraffes has been commonly reported since its first description in 1958 and is believed to play a role in establishing male dominance hierarchies. However, despite being often documented, quantitative investigations of sparring behaviour are currently lacking. Here, we investigate the factors affecting the frequency, duration and intensity of sparring bouts in a population of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa living on a private fenced reserve in Limpopo, South Africa. We show that sparring bouts were most frequently observed in young adults, and between males that were more evenly matched in size. Sparring bouts between males of similar body size were also characterised by being of high intensity and of short duration. Taken together, these results support the suggestion that sparring functions principally to provide maturing males a means of testing their competitive ability without escalating to full-scale fights. Additionally, mature bulls intervened on young adults possibly to disable any winner effect achieved by the latter, with the most dominant bull being responsible for the majority of interventions. For the first time, we also show that individuals displayed strong laterality when engaged in sparring: individuals consistently preferred delivering blows from either their left or right side, and these preferences dictated the orientation of sparring bouts (whether head-to-head or head-to-tail). Lastly, we show that sparring displayed a seasonal peak which coincided with the onset of the wet season and possibly reflected the increased aggregation of males at this time. A more nuanced understanding of how social and environmental factors shape interactions among individuals, such as sparring, will improve our understanding and management of this charismatic animal.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eth.13199

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Preliminary ontogeny of the giraffe neck

The giraffe juvenile has different proportions of head to neck from the adult. The head just about doubles in size from the juvenile to adult, whereas the neck increases almost 4.5× (roughly four times) in length. The T1 posterior dorsal vertebral width of the newborn is clearly wider than in the adult where it is narrow. In the okapi, the dorsal vertebral width is narrow in both juvenile and adult. The giraffe neck changes in ontogeny anisometrically. In the okapi the changes are more isometric. The giraffe juvenile vertebrae are shorter and do not have fused the cranial epiphyseal plates. That facilitates anterior elongation-growth. The ventral tubercles are undeveloped. The juvenile T1 is wide caudally unlike the adult. This may be a similarity to a gelocid (Gelocidae) ancestor of the giraffe.

anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.25193

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Giraffes make decisions based on statistical information

The ability to make inferences based on statistical information has so far been tested only in animals having large brains in relation to their body size, like primates and parrots. Here we tested if giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis), despite having a smaller relative brain size, can rely on relative frequencies to predict sampling outcomes. We presented them with two transparent containers filled with different quantities of highly-liked food and less-preferred food. The experimenter covertly drew one piece of food from each container, and let the giraffe choose between the two options. In the first task, we varied the quantity and relative frequency of highly-liked and less-preferred food pieces. In the second task, we inserted a physical barrier in both containers, so giraffes only had to take into account the upper part of the container when predicting the outcome. In both tasks giraffes successfully selected the container more likely to provide the highly-liked food, integrating physical information to correctly predict sampling information. By ruling out alternative explanations based on simpler quantity heuristics and learning processes, we showed that giraffes can make decisions based on statistical inferences.

www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-32615-3