The largest animals. All about the giraffe: amazing facts about the animal What does a giraffe eat?

GIRAFFE
(Giraffa camelopardalis)- the tallest of modern animals. A mammal of the artiodactyl order, distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, where the species usually inhabits savannas with sparsely standing trees and shrubs.

Dimensions. The giraffe is the fourth largest land animal; The only animals larger than the giraffe are the elephant, hippopotamus and rhinoceros. The largest males reach a height of 5.9 m to the crown and 3.7 m at the withers with a weight of approx. 2 t (averages are approximately 5.2 m, 3 m and approx. 1 t). Females are on average smaller: approximately 4.4 m to the crown, 2.7 m at the withers and weighing 600 kg. The giraffe's tail, approximately 1 m long, ends in a brush of black hair.
Coat. The giraffe's skin is densely covered with small and large spots from brown to almost black, which are separated by narrow yellowish or whitish spaces. The shape of the spots is irregular, with smooth or jagged edges, but on the body of each individual individual, as a rule, they are of the same type. A stiff dark brown mane about 12 cm high grows on the neck.
Neck skeleton. Although the giraffe's neck is over 1.5 m in length, there are only seven cervical vertebrae, like most other mammals, including humans. However, each cervical vertebra is greatly elongated; in addition, the first thoracic (next to the cervical) vertebra is also modified and very similar to the cervical one.
Blood pressure. High blood pressure is required to keep blood from the heart moving up to the brain. When the animal's head is raised, this pressure at the level of the brain is the same as that of other large mammals. However, when lowering the head, the pressure in it could dangerously increase if the giraffe's brain were not protected by special vascular formations. There are two of them, and both are located at the base of the skull: here blood pressure is damped in a “wonderful network” (rete mirabile) of thin intertwining vessels, and valves in the veins allow blood to flow only in one direction (to the heart), preventing it from flowing back to the brain.
Horns. Males and females have a pair of short, blunt horns covered with skin on the top of their heads. In males they are more massive and longer - up to 23 cm. Sometimes there is a third horn, on the forehead, approximately between the eyes; in males it is more common and more developed. Two bony outgrowths in the upper part of the back of the head, to which the neck muscles and ligaments are attached, can also grow greatly, resembling the shape of horns, which are called posterior, or occipital. In some individuals, usually old males, both three true horns and two posterior ones are well developed; they are called "five-horned" giraffes. Sometimes in old males other bony outgrowths are observed on the skull.
Gaits. Giraffes have two main gaits: walk and gallop. In the first case, the animal moves at an amble, i.e. alternately bringing forward two legs, first on one side, then on the other side of the body. The gallop looks awkward; the hind and front legs cross, but the speed reaches 56 km/h. During a gallop, the giraffe's neck and head swing strongly, making a figure eight, and the tail either swings from side to side, or is raised high and curled over the back. The giraffe has sharper vision than any other African mammal, with the possible exception of the cheetah. In addition, the enormous height allows one to notice objects at a very great distance.
Food and water. Giraffes are ruminants, like cows. They have a four-chambered stomach, and their jaws constantly chew cud—partially chewed food that is regurgitated from the first chamber of the stomach for secondary chewing. The giraffe's diet consists almost entirely of young shoots of trees and shrubs. Apparently, it prefers thorny acacias, but often also feeds on mimosas, wild apricots and some shrubs, and, if necessary, can also eat freshly grown grass. Giraffes can survive without water for many weeks, possibly months.
Activity. Giraffes are diurnal animals, most active in the early morning and evening. They wait out the peak of the daytime heat, either standing with their neck or head down on a tree branch, or lying down, usually raising their neck and head to watch for danger. Giraffes sleep at night, but only for a few minutes at a time; The total duration of deep sleep apparently does not exceed 20 minutes per night. A sleeping giraffe lies with its neck bent so that its head rests on the lower part of its hind limb.
Social behavior and territoriality. Typically, giraffes live alone (especially old males) or in small loosely formed groups of two to ten animals, less often in larger herds numbering up to 70 individuals. Herds can be mixed (males, females, young animals), bachelor (only young or only mature males) or consist of females and young animals. Giraffe vocalizations are typical of large herbivores, ranging from snorting and mooing to grunts and roars. Not counting migration routes, the area of ​​an individual giraffe's home range, i.e. The area in which it regularly grazes varies from approximately 23 to 163 km2 depending on the terrain.
Fights. Giraffes are extremely peaceful and even timid animals, but males fight among themselves for leadership, and animals of both sexes engage in fights with predators if they cannot escape from them. Within each population, the relationships of adult males are hierarchical. Hierarchy is maintained through fighting or threatening postures, such as lowering the neck to an almost horizontal position, as if the animal is preparing to butt an opponent. When fighting, two or more males stand side by side, facing the same or opposite directions, and swing their necks like giant hammers, trying to hit each other. The fight is often ritualized and does not cause harm to the participants, but sometimes, especially if several males are competing for a female ready to mate, it can end in a real knockout. In a fight with a predator, the giraffe either slashes downwards with its front legs or kicks with its hind legs. The giraffe's hooves are very large - the diameter of the front ones reaches 23 cm. It is known that giraffes even killed attacking lions with a blow of their hooves.
Enemies. The only serious enemy of adult giraffes (apart from humans) is the lion. Most often, he attacks when the giraffe is lying or standing, awkwardly bent, drinking water or nibbling grass. Young giraffes are also preyed upon by other predators, such as leopards and hyenas. For a long time, people killed giraffes for meat, tendons (for making bow strings, ropes and strings of musical instruments), tail tassels (for bracelets, fly swatters and threads) and skin (for making shields, drums, whips, sandals, etc. .). Uncontrolled hunting has become one of the main reasons for the decline in both the numbers and distribution of these animals.
Reproduction. Giraffes breed throughout the year, but tend to mate most intensively during the rainy season, such as March. Gestation lasts 15 months (457 days), and therefore the largest number of cubs are born during the dry season, i.e. approximately from May to August. Females typically give birth to one calf approximately every 20-23 months for approximately 15 years. During childbirth, the mother bends her hind legs; When a calf falls from a height to the ground, the umbilical cord breaks. Newborn, height approx. 2 m to the top of the head and weighing approx. 55 kg, is able to stand up within an hour, and often within 10 minutes after birth. He suckles milk up to 13 months, but begins to pluck leaves already at two weeks of age. Usually the calf remains with its mother for another 2-5 months after the end of feeding. The mortality rate of young animals is high - up to 68% of calves die in the first year of life. Female giraffes reach sexual maturity at 3.5 years of age and reach maximum size at 5 years of age; males mature by 4.5 years and are fully grown by seven. In nature, the average life expectancy is 6 years, and the maximum is approx. 26. The record for longevity in captivity is 36 years.
Classification and evolutionary history. The giraffe and okapi (Okapia johnstoni) are the only living members of the giraffe family (Giraffidae). It appeared in Central Asia in the early or middle Miocene, i.e. approximately 15 million years ago, and spread from there to Europe and Africa. The oldest remains of a modern giraffe were found in Israel and Africa and date back to the early Pleistocene, i.e. their age is approx. 1.5 million years. The range of the modern giraffe has greatly decreased as a result of human hunting and anthropogenic changes in the environment. The species was found in northern Africa (in Morocco) 1,400 years ago, and in many areas in the west and south of the continent it was exterminated only in the last century. There are usually nine geographical races, or subspecies, distributed from Mali in the west to Somalia in the east and South Africa in the south.

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

See what "GIRAFFE" is in other dictionaries:

giraffe- a, m. GIRAFFE s, f. girafe f. 1. Giraffe (giraffe), a two-hoofed animal... with a low back and an incongruously long neck. Dahl. We can show up in cities like giraffes or sieges: it was no joke to see four Russian writers. 19. 4. 1828. P. A.... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), a mammal of the family. Giraffidae The body is short, the neck is very long (but there are 7 cervical vertebrae, like most mammals), body height up to 5.5 m, weight up to 1000 kg (males are larger than females). Sharp fluctuations in blood... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

Giraffe, cameleopard, okapi Dictionary of Russian synonyms. giraffe noun, number of synonyms: 8 animal (277) giraffe ... Synonym dictionary

- (lat. Camelopardalis) circumpolar constellation of the Northern Hemisphere ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Camelopardalis), constellation of the northern part of the sky. Its brightest star, Beta, has a magnitude of 4.0. This constellation includes the star cluster NGC 1502, which can be seen with binoculars... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

GIRAFFE, giraffe, male, and GIRAFFE, giraffe, female. (French girafe) (zool.). A ruminant with a very long neck and very long legs, with sandy yellow fur, found in tropical Africa. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

The giraffe is the second tallest (after the elephant) African animal with a unique color and unique shape of spots, which can easily go without water longer than a camel. Giraffes live mainly in savannas, open steppes with a small number of trees and shrubs, the leaves and branches of which are eaten.

Giraffes are incredibly peaceful creatures, living in small herds of no more than 12-15 individuals. Each handsome spotted animal loves other members of its herd and respects the leader, which is why the animals almost always manage to avoid any skirmishes and conflicts.

If a fight is inevitable, giraffes arrange bloodless duels, during which the rivals come close to each other and fight with their necks. Such a fight (mainly between males) lasts no more than 15 minutes, after which the loser retreats and continues to live in the herd as an ordinary member. Males and females also selflessly protect the offspring of their herd, especially the mothers, who, without further ado, ready to rush at a pack of hyenas or lions, if they threaten the lives of children.

In nature, the only dangerous animal for a giraffe is the lion, and its only relative is the okapi, since all other giraffes are considered extinct.

The uniqueness of giraffe behavior and physiology

Of all mammals, the giraffe has the longest tongue (50 cm), which helps absorb up to 35 kg of plant food daily. The animal can also clean its ears with its black or dark purple tongue.

Giraffes have very sharp eyesight, and their enormous growth additionally allows them to spot danger at a very long distance. The African animal is also unique in that he has the biggest heart(up to 60 cm long and weighing up to 11 kg) among all mammals and the highest blood pressure. The giraffe also differs from other animals in its step size, because the length of the legs of an adult is 6-8 meters, which allows it to reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Giraffe cubs are no less unique - an hour after birth, the babies are already quite firmly on their own two feet. At birth, the calf is approximately 1.5 m tall and weighs about 100 kg. 7-10 days after birth, the baby begins to form small horns that were previously depressed. The mother searches for other females with newborns nearby, after which they set up a kind of kindergarten for their offspring. At this time, children are in danger, because every parent hopes for the vigilance of other females, and the cubs often become prey to predators. For this reason, only a quarter of the offspring usually survive to one year.

Giraffes only sometimes sleep lying down - the animals spend most of their time in an upright position, placing their heads between tree branches, which almost completely eliminates the possibility of falling, and sleep standing up.

Interesting facts about giraffes

Other "giraffes"

1. The constellation Giraffe (derived from the Latin "Camelopardalis") is a circumpolar constellation that best observed in the CIS countries from November to January.
2. Royal Giraffe (derived from the German "Giraffenklavier") is one of the varieties of vertical piano beginning of the 19th century, getting its name due to its silhouette reminiscent of the animal of the same name.

The giraffe is a surprisingly intelligent animal with unique, characteristic habits. The peacefulness, gentle disposition and funny appearance of these animals will not leave any person indifferent.

There are many amazing animals on our planet. It is home to both small and large, long and short, short and tall inhabitants of the wild. And each species is unique in its own way.

The largest animals are the most admired. Some modern representatives of the mammalian fauna reach truly amazing sizes. We'll talk about them in this article.

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest mammal on Earth. The weight of an adult individual is on average 120 tons with a body length of more than 26 meters. The heart of this mammal weighs about 700 kilograms, and the tongue weighs 2 tons. The whale's stomach reaches three meters in length. Whales have children to match: a newly born whale reaches 8 meters in length and weighs 6 tons.

If a human child adds tens and hundreds of grams to its weight per day, then a baby whale becomes heavier by a hundredweight per day, and after two years it is comparable in height to its parent.

Big animals

African savannah elephant

A large mammal walks on the ground - the African savannah long-eared elephant. This elephant grows 4.5 meters long, 3.7 meters high and weighs 6 tons. The Asian or Indian elephant is slightly smaller, growing to only 3 meters.

There are some differences between these two types of elephants: the African elephant has a short body, and huge ears, a thin trunk, at the end of which there are two peculiar fingers, and not one, like the Indian elephant.

The African elephant can boast of its tusks, which are much longer and stronger than those of other elephants. Female African elephants also have tusks, but female Indian elephants have small tusks or no tusks at all. The Indian elephant has long been tamed by humans and serves as a pet. Despite its large size, the elephant can be neat and careful. It will not harm small children playing nearby. This intelligent animal understands commands well and obeys its owner of any age, even a teenager.

Rhinoceroses

Large animals also include rhinoceroses. The African white rhinoceros can surprise you with its size. It has a body length of 5 meters, its height at the withers is 2 meters. The rhinoceros looks terrifying, because on its head there are 2 horns, one of them reaches 1 meter in length. These huge animals live in South Africa. They are protected because their numbers are small. African black rhinoceroses are much more numerous. These rhinoceroses grow up to 3.5 meters and a height of 1.5 meters. In India, there is a peaceful coexistence of rhinoceroses and elephants. These animals are close to each other and do not cause aggression to each other.

The next largest mammal is the hippopotamus. It has a body length of 4.5 meters and grows to 1.5 meters in height. Hippos have excellent hearing. They spend the entire day underwater, leaving only their nostrils outside. At first glance, it seems that the hippopotamus is clumsy. This animal is quite timid and can quickly catch itself and run. When enraged, a hippopotamus is very dangerous, especially if it has cubs.

Giraffes

Giraffes are not quite large, but tall animals. The height of this animal reaches 6 meters. The body is 2.5 meters long. Such a specimen can weigh up to half a ton. These tall mammals live in savannas. Since they feed on tree leaves, their tongue is quite long - 45 cm.

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Man often wonders: is he alone in the Universe? Is there life somewhere else or is he completely, completely alone? We don't know the answers. Bye. But before you look with bated breath at the stars, it’s worth taking a better look around, because we share the planet with myriads of other creatures, each of which is unique and inimitable in its own way.

The smallest ones can only be seen with the help of very powerful technology, while for others the person himself can become an annoying, but easily overcome obstacle. It is such large animals that make people stop to once again admire the diversity and whimsical imagination of nature. Let's do this too.

Blue whale - giant of giants

At this particular historical moment in time, blue whales are the largest animals on earth, in water and in the air. Photos or videos may be impressive, but they don't even come close to conveying their size. On land, these giants may seem somewhat clumsy, but in the water they have no equal. As for the sizes, here are just a few facts that will help you feel their scale:

1. The length of a whale can reach 33 meters. If it’s hard to imagine, imagine a nine-story building and add another floor to it.
2. The weight of such a giant can be up to 200 tons. For example, the weight of the Daewoo Matiz is less than 800 kilograms, that is, the whale is 250 times larger than a small one, but still a car.
3. An adult animal spends 1 million calories per day. For this we would have to eat 500 kilograms of beef chops, but a whale costs a ton of krill.
4. The second largest animal is the elephant, but it weighs about the same as a whale's tongue alone.

This is only a small part of the information about this magnificent animal, but even it allows you to imagine how huge it is.

African elephant - king of the pampas

We have already talked about this animal above, but this does not mean that it does not deserve a more detailed description. If blue whales are super champions of all elements, then the African elephant has conquered only land, but there is no animal more massive on it. Here are a couple of interesting facts:

1. Elephant ladies weigh about three tons, their gentlemen - up to five, and the very best can increase up to seven and a half tons of live weight.
2. A baby elephant is born very tiny - only a centner of weight and a meter of height, but it eats a lot of rich mother's milk and grows quickly.
3. The tusks of a mature male can weigh up to 100 kilograms each.

Of course, compared to the blue whale, these numbers are not very impressive, but life in the air dictates its limitations. On the other hand, other animals are even smaller.

Giraffe – 6 meters of misunderstanding

It is difficult to imagine the vagaries of evolution that gave birth to these strange creatures with their long legs and necks of comparable length. But you can calmly admire the result, if not in a natural environment, then at least in a photo or video. To make it interesting to admire, here are a few dry statistical facts:

1. The height of a giraffe can reach six meters, of which 2 are just the neck. At the same time, they weigh relatively little - 1000-1200 kilograms. Not surprising, considering that they mainly consist of legs and neck.
2. Despite the fact that the length of the giraffe's neck amazes the wildest fantasies, approaching nightmares, it has the same number of vertebrae as the human neck - 7 pieces.
3. The giraffe's tongue is another asset. He can stick it out almost half a meter.
4. It is difficult to imagine a running giraffe, but he can do it quite well, reaching speeds of up to 55 km/h. A jumping giraffe looks even more phantasmagoric. But at the same time he can overcome the two-meter bar.

Thus, despite its apparent clumsiness and awkwardness, the giraffe is a strong, resilient and ideally adapted miracle of nature for life in its own conditions. Of course, this is not the largest animal in the world, but it is consistently among the top three.

Southern elephant seal – blubber skin

The elephant seal is the largest species of pinnipeds, and the southern branch is significantly larger than its relatives. They live, as is quite clear from the name, at the South Pole, which determined their appearance. In a harsh climate, and even more so in icy (literally) water, one cannot survive without a thick layer of fat that would protect him from this disgrace.

True, because of this they began to look like wineskins filled with liquid fat, especially when they roll over to the rookery. But in the water they acquire the grace of a bird and the purposefulness of a torpedo. In this regard, these large animals once again confirm that nature does not do anything for nothing, adapting each creature to certain conditions. Several basic parameters of these giants:

1. A male can grow up to 6 meters in length, accumulating 5 tons of weight. His spouses are more miniature, their weight is about one ton and 2-3 meters in length.
2. A newly born baby weighs only 50 kilograms.
3. In a rookery there may be several hundred females and only a few dozen males who have won the right to be in this paradise.

Fat, clumsy, ugly - in fact, elephant seals are the personification of grace. Under the water. It is not surprising that this is where they spend 70-80% of their lives.

Ostrich - running bird

It is worth thanking nature many, many times that ostriches and their relatives do not fly. Otherwise, it would be scary to imagine what the monuments and squares of the cities that they would choose as their permanent location would turn into. Their passage would resemble carpet bombing. And now you yourself will understand why:

1. The weight of an adult large ostrich can be up to 150 kilograms with a height of 2.5 meters.
2. Their head is small, but their eyes are very beautiful and large. The brain already fits poorly in the head, so it is comparable in size to the eyes.
3. Ostriches cannot fly, but they run excellently: at speeds of up to 60 km/h. Even one-month-old chicks can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h, catching up with their mother.

Ostriches are beautiful and elegant birds. But still, it’s good that they don’t fly.

Liger - changing the places of the terms changes the sum

There are three types of cats: domestic cats, small wild cats and large wild cats. In this case, the liger could be called a very large wild cat. Not surprising, because they are significantly larger in size than both the lion father and the tiger mother. Such marriages occur quite rarely, but any zoo or park is proud of the children.

This hybrid looks like a lion with faint, blurry stripes, but that’s not what’s interesting, it’s their size. Here are some facts:

1. The liger Hercules weighs 400 kilograms, twice as large as his father and his relatives.
2. The largest liger, noted by the Guinness Book of Records, weighed 798 kilograms. It can easily be divided into 4 lions.
3. The offspring of a tiger father and a lioness mother is called a tigron, but it does not have such impressive dimensions.

There are currently 4 lily cubs growing up in the Novosibirsk Zoo - the eldest girl Kiara and newborn triplets. They were born from the marriage of a liga and a lion, creating a very rare and unique variety. It is difficult to say whether they will be able to surpass their predecessor parents.

Grizzly is not a teddy bear at all
The grizzly bear is an Americanized version of our native brown bear. But, having moved abroad, he acquired impressive claws, a bad temper, and also grew a little. See for yourself:

• On average, the height of a grizzly bear ranges from 2.2 meters to 2.8.
• The weight is about half a tone.
• Some of the most seasoned ones reach a height of 4 meters. Weight and bad temper increase proportionately.
• The bear loves an aggressive manicure: its claws are about 15 centimeters long, twice as long as human fingers.

Now you know what the largest animal on our planet is. Unfortunately, most of the champions listed in our article are firmly entrenched in the Red Book. If humanity does not change its attitude towards them in the near future, then they risk moving to Chernaya. Our grandchildren risk learning about them this way: from photos and videos.