The Sunday News
Know Your Wildlife
Ndebele — Intundla/Indlulamithi,
Shona — Furiradenga/Twiza
THE giraffe cannot be mistaken for any other animal out there in the world, it is so unique. It is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal. It is also the largest ruminant.
Its species name refers to its camel-like appearance and the patches of colour on its fur. It is classified under the family giraffidae.
Description
The giraffe is the Africa’s tallest mammals that reach full height of more than five metres. The mammal is recognised by the attractive marking that is made up of irregular patches in varying shades of brown on a buff background.
It has an enormous long neck which allows it to exploit the leaves and vegetation that are too high for other animals to reach.
Despite the length, the neck of the giraffe actually contains the number of the vertebrae bones as most of the hoofed mammals but the bones are simply longer in shape. The giraffe’s elongated neck leads into a short body, with long and thin straight legs and a long tail that is clearly visible and tipped with a black tuft that helps to keep the flies away.
Males are larger and darker in colour than females, they have thicker horns and a lump on the forehead which is not present in the female Giraffe. These horns are called ossicones. Giraffe horns are fur covered bumps on their skulls, unlike the horns of other mammals. Every single Giraffe in the world has its own pattern of spots.
Distribution and Habitat
Giraffes are found in parts of Africa. Previously these long-necked hoofed mammals were found in North Africa, today the remaining giraffe populations are restricted to parts of sub Saharan Africa. The largest population of these odd-hoofed mammals is found in National Parks.
These long-necked ungulates inhabit open woodlands and savannah where using their height they are able to see for great distances around them to watch out for approaching danger. There are nine different giraffe species that are found in varying countries on the continent each exploiting their local ecological niche.
Due to their preferred vegetation that is high on the trees Giraffes were able to remain in areas where domestic grazing has obliterated the plant species close to the ground. Giraffes have limited number of competitors in their grazing areas however they compete among themselves. They seek out areas enriched with acacia growth. Giraffes can be found away from a water source because they only occasionally drink.
Giraffe Behaviour
Giraffes are most active in the early morning and late afternoon but also feed at night in bright moonlight. They drink if water is available but can survive without it. They are very vulnerable while drinking and will not drink if suspicious of danger. Females, calves and juveniles occur in herds of about 10.Young males may form small bachelor groups. Mature bulls are nearly always alone except when they join a female herd for mating. Giraffes can successfully live in the wild for about 20 to 25 years.
Giraffe sound/communication
Giraffe are rarely heard and are usually considered silent mammals. They communicate with one another by infrasonic sound. They do, at times, vocalize to one another by grunts or whistle-like cries. Some other communication sounds for Giraffes are moaning, snoring, hissing and flutelike sounds. When alarmed, a giraffe grunts or snorts to warn neibouring giraffes of the danger. Mother giraffes can whistle to their young calves. Also, cows search for their lost young by making bellowing calls. The calves respond to their mother’s calls by bleating or mewing.
Reproduction
Giraffes reach sexual maturity in four to six years. A single calf is born after a gestation period of 15 months. The calf suckles from its mother but starts nibbling at other food within days. After birth the female Giraffe will often keep her calf away from the rest of the herd for an average of 15 days. Social bonds between mother and calf persist beyond weaning, until the birth of her next offspring.
Giraffe Diet and Prey
The Giraffe are herbivorous animals. They have evolved to be tall so that it has less competition for food on the higher branches of the canopy. They are known to eat up to 60 different plant species throughout the year. They do so by grabbing onto branches with their long, black tongue. The grooved teeth enable them to strip the leaves off the branches. Giraffes most commonly eat from acacia trees but also browse for wild apricots, flowers, fruits and buds along with eating seeds and fresh grass just after the rains. Even though Giraffes feed higher than any other animal, males actually feed at higher levels than females to avoid competing with each other for food.
Giraffe predators and threats
Despite being the tallest land animal in the world, the Giraffe is actually preyed upon by a number of large carnivores that co-inhabit the dry savannah. Lions are the primary predators of the Giraffe. They use the strength of the whole pride to catch their victim. Giraffes are also preyed upon by leopards and hyenas. Giraffes rely on the vast open plains so that they can have the best view possible of their surroundings. If a predator gets too close, giraffes kick their attacker with their large heavy feet to defend themselves. Young calves are much more vulnerable and rely on the protection of their mother and the herd.
Giraffe relationship with humans
The Giraffe today is seen as a major tourist attraction. However, Giraffes have been hunted by people and also have been affected by their encroachment on their natural habitats. Due to hunting and habitat loss Giraffes have lost half of their once vast natural range with the majority of wild individuals found in Africa’s National Parks.
