What are some characteristics of a giraffe?
General Appearance
- Tallest mammal.
- Very long neck.
- Short, stiff mane.
- Long, black hair on tail; used as an insect-swatter (Dagg 2014)
- Shoulders high, sloping down to hind quarters.
- No upper incisors or canines.
- Long prehensile tongue: 50 cm (20 in)
- Large brown eyes bordered by long, black lashes.
What is the physical characteristics of a giraffe?
The giraffe is the tallest of all mammals. It reaches an overall height of 18 ft (5.5 m) or more. The legs and neck are extremely long. The giraffe has a short body, a tufted tail, a short mane, and short skin-covered horns.
What traits do giraffes have to protect them?
Nature gave the giraffe several nonviolent characteristics that help it survive.
- Height and Vision. The giraffe’s height is important to its survival.
- Head, Nose and Tongue. Giraffes typically have one or two horns on the tops of their heads.
- Water Needs.
- Other Protecting Features.
Why are giraffes important to the world?
Why are giraffes important? Giraffe’s are vital to keeping ecosystems in balance. They eat the browse that others cannot reach, which promotes growth of forage and opens up areas for themselves and other smaller browsers to make use of.
What is the symbolic meaning of a giraffe?
As a beautiful, wild, and exotic animal, the giraffe connotes sexuality, uniqueness, and pride. Giraffe symbolism is also used in art to represent the natural world. A giraffe can also symbolize a long distance between the head and heart. Since they stand tall, they represent looking into the future.
How do giraffes use their body features to survive?
Giraffes have a long neck that helps them reach their favorite food and look out for predators. They also have a dark, thick prehensile tongue, meaning it can twist and wrap around, and grab things. Its dark color protects it from the sun and its tough texture protects it from sharp thorns.
What features help giraffes survive?
Their very long necks are an adaption to feeding at high levels in the treetops. Their physical adaption, a long neck, does not only help them to graze but also helps them keep track of predators and it enables visual communication with other giraffe over several miles.
Is the Rothschild’s giraffe a Camelopardalis?
The Rothschild’s giraffe (G. c. rothschildi) may be an ecotype of G. camelopardalis. Its range includes parts of Uganda and Kenya. Its presence in South Sudan is uncertain. This giraffe has large dark patches that usually have complete margins, but may also have sharp edges.
How can you tell the gender of a Giraffa?
Species: Giraffa camelopardalis Subspecies: Giraffa camelopardalis peralta One way you to identify the genders of the West African Giraffes is by viewing the ossicones. The ones of males are very thick, usually bald and are about five inches long. Those of females are smaller, thinner, and with hair on them.
What is the average lifespan of a giraffe?
( “Encyclopedia of Mammals”, 1997; “Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia”, 2003) Giraffa camelopardalis have a life expectancy between 20 to 27 years in zoos. Giraffes live for 10 to 15 years in the wild. ( “Animal Fact Sheet”, 2005; “Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia”, 2003)
What kind of animal is the West African giraffe?
The West African Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) is a subspecies of the northern giraffe and is the most threatened species since its population is only 400 individuals in the wild. Navigation Menu Home Information Species Humans Multimedia Pictures Videos Español West African Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta)