Tower crane-like giraffes are not only considered the tallest animals on Earth. In any zoo, giraffes are of great interest to visitors, especially children. And in the wild, the administrations of reserves and national parks have to limit the number of visitors who want to meet giraffes in their natural habitat. At the same time, the giants treat people and cars calmly and with some curiosity. Here are some facts about these unusual animals:
1. The images found show that the ancient Egyptians valued giraffes already in the III millennium BC. e. They considered these animals gorgeous gifts, and presented them to the rulers of other states. Caesar also received one giraffe. He christened the animal the “camel-leopard”. According to legend, Caesar fed him to lions to emphasize his greatness. How a handsome man devoured by lions can emphasize the greatness of the emperor is not explained. However, they write about Nero that he kept a giraffe trained to rape delinquent women.
2. Giraffes belong to the artiodactyl order, which also includes hippos, deer and pigs.
3. Not being endangered animals, giraffes are still quite rare. In the wild, most of them live in reserves and national parks.
4. A giraffe named Samson is considered the living mascot of the Moscow Zoo. There are other giraffes in the zoo, but Samson is the most sociable and cute of them.
5. Giraffes only seem slow due to their gigantic size. In fact, at a leisurely pace, they can overcome up to 15 km in an hour (an ordinary person walks at a speed of 4 - 5 km / h). And in case of danger, giraffes may well accelerate to 60 km / h.
6. The clumsiness of the giraffes and the associated defenselessness are also apparent. With long, powerful legs, they can strike in all directions, so predators usually do not bond with adult giraffes. The exception is that during a watering hole crocodiles can attack giraffes.
7. The circulatory system of giraffes is unique. Of course, this applies primarily to the blood supply to the head. It crowns the neck, which can be up to 2.5 meters long. In order to raise blood to such a height, a 12-kilogram heart pumps 60 liters of blood per minute. Moreover, there are special valves in the main vein that feeds the head. They regulate blood pressure so that even if the giraffe leans sharply towards the ground itself, its head will not spin. And just born giraffes immediately stand on their feet, again thanks to a powerful heart and large elastic veins in the legs.
8. In order to start mating with a female, a male giraffe needs to taste her urine. It's not at all about any particular perversity of giraffes. It's just that the female is ready for mating in a very limited time, and just at this time, due to changes in biochemistry, the taste of her urine changes. Therefore, when the female urinates in the male's mouth, this is either an invitation to mating, or a refusal.
9. Many people are familiar with the picture of two giraffes, supposedly gently rubbing their necks. In fact, these are not mating games and not manifestations of tenderness, but real fights. The movements of the giraffes appear to be fluid due to their size.
10. Cubs of giraffe are born, already being two meters in height. In the future, males can grow up to almost 6 meters. Females are usually about a meter shorter. By weight, males are, on average, almost twice as heavy as the giraffe.
11. Giraffes are collective animals, they live in small herds. In search of food, they have to move a lot. This creates known problems in the postpartum period - babies should not be left even for a short time. Then the giraffes organize something like a kindergarten - some of the mothers leave to eat, while others guard the offspring at this time. During such periods, giraffes can roam with herds of zebras or antelopes, which smell predators earlier.
12. Distinguishing giraffes by sex is possible not only by comparing their height. Males usually eat the tallest leaves and branches they can reach, while females eat the shorter ones. Due to the low calorie content of plant foods, giraffes have to eat up to 16 hours a day. During this time, they can eat up to 30 kg.
13. Because of their body structure, it is very difficult for giraffes to drink. In order to drink, they take an uncomfortable and vulnerable posture: a head lowered to the water sharply reduces the field of vision, and wide-set legs increase the reaction time in the event of a crocodile attack. Therefore, they go to the watering hole only once a day, drinking up to 40 liters of water. They also get water from the plants they eat. At the same time, giraffes do not lose water with sweat, and their body can regulate body temperature.
14. Giraffes don't sweat, but they smell just disgusting. The smell is emitted by substances that the giraffe's body secretes to protect against numerous insects and parasites. This does not happen from a good life - imagine how long it should take to maintain the hygiene of such a huge body, and how much energy it will require.
15. For all the difference in length, the necks of a man and a giraffe contain the same number of vertebrae - 7. The cervical vertebrae of a giraffe reach a length of 25 cm.
16. Giraffes can have two, four or even five horns. Two pairs of horns are quite common, but the fifth horn is an anomaly. Strictly speaking, this is not a horn, but a bony protrusion.
17. Despite the fact that, due to their height, giraffes can reach the tops of almost all trees in their habitats, they can also stick out their tongue half a meter if you need to get a tasty twig in the crown of a tree.
18. The spots on the body of giraffes are as unique as human fingerprints. All 9 existing subspecies of giraffes have different colors and shapes, so with some skill you can distinguish the West African giraffe (it has very light spots) from the Ugandan (the spots are dark brown, and their middle is almost black). And not a single giraffe has spots on its belly.
19. Giraffes sleep very little - a maximum of two hours a day. Sleep proceeds either standing or in a very difficult position, resting your head on the back of your body.
20. Giraffes live only in Africa, on other continents they can only be found in zoos. In Africa, the habitat of giraffes is quite extensive. Due to their low water demand, they thrive even in the southern part of the Sahara, not to mention more habitable places. Due to their relatively thin legs, giraffes live only on solid soils, moist soils and wetlands are not suitable for them.
