The Long neck

(Movie)


The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is a mammal of the order of ungulates. It is the highest landlebende animal in the world. To distinguish from related Okapi (the "forest giraffe") it is also called a giraffe steppe.

Characteristics
Males (bulls) are up to 5.50 metres tall and weigh up to 900 kg, the shoulder height is between 2.0 and 3.5 m. Females (cows) are usually a bit smaller and lighter. The neck of the giraffe is unusually long, however, the cervical spine, as in almost all mammals, from only seven Halswirbeln, but is much longer. The long neck is also a challenge for the circulatory system of the giraffe: Finally, the brain with sufficiently reliable blood supply. It is the heart of the giraffes particularly powerful. It can be 60 litres of blood per minute through the body pumps, weighs 12 kilograms and provides for a blood pressure, which is three times higher than in humans. The tongue is extremely long and muscular: You can be 45 cm long and is capable of grasping.

The pattern of Haarkleids consists of dark spots, which differs from the basic brighter color. Depending on the subspecies varies the shape and color of the spots. The bottom is light and unstained.

Two zapfenartige horns sit at the head of both sexes. In rare cases, it grows another couple horn. Some giraffes also have a bony eminence between the eyes, like the horns structured.

Giraffes can run very fast and reach top speeds of 55 km / h, are short distances faster than a race horse. The long legs, the giraffe but only on solid ground. Sumpfige areas of the animals are therefore shunned, and rivers are insurmountable obstacles dar.

Giraffes in a circumspect for people not audible sound field at frequencies below 20 Hz, the so-called subsonic range.

Dissemination

Giraffes are widespread in African savannahs. Today they live just south of the Sahara, especially in the grassy steppes of Eastern and Southern Africa. Stocks north of the Sahara were soon eradicated by man: during the early antiquity in the Nile Valley and about the 7th Century in the coastal plains of Morocco and Algeria. In the 20th Giraffes century disappeared from many other areas of their distribution area (see man and giraffe).

Warming
The physique and physiology enable the giraffe their diet: giraffes prefer the leaves from the crown region of the trees, acacias with fondness. The giraffe takes a branch with her tongue, leads him in the mouth and graze through back of the head, pulling the leaves. Tongue and lips are such that despite the thorny branches no damage. Every day, a giraffe about 30 kg food; this requires sixteen to twenty hours. The fluid needs will be largely eradicated from the food so that giraffes for weeks without drinking shortfall. If they do drink, they must take the front legs spread wide, his head far enough to reduce, as they proceed, if they take food from the ground, but it was only under very unfavorable circumstances.

Einzelgängerisch giraffes live, or in loose associations. It depends on the social behavior of sex: female ever to do herds from 4 to 32 animals together, but always in the composition. Young males form before sexual maturity own associations before they Einzelgängern. Two cops meet, it usually comes at a ritualized battle, in which the animals are side by side, and her head against the neck of the competitors are proposing. For the mating season, these struggles fail, and a more aggressive accept violence, in which one of the competitors will be beaten unconscious.

The Gestation lasts 14-15 months. As a rule, only one calf was born. The birth takes place in the standing, so that the newborn from 2 m to the ground. Immediately after the birth of giraffes are about 1.8 metres high and 50 kg in weight. They are firmly within an hour on their legs and catch a few hours to run. However, the calves until after 2 to 3 weeks with the flock together.

One calf remains about one and a half years with his mother. With four years it will be sexually, with six years it reaches full size. In the wilderness can giraffes 25 years in captivity 35 years old.

Against carnivores defend itself adult giraffes with their Vorderhufe strokes. Because of their size and defensive giraffes are therefore rarely attacked.

Juveniles are often against lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs on the victims. Despite the protection provided by the mother reach only 25-50% of young adulthood.

Man and giraffe
The North African populations were early Greeks and Romans hunted. Occasionally giraffes were by the Romans for animal shows at the Colosseum. Overall, the giraffe but in Europe until well into the modern age little known. Sun led the 1827 arrival of the first giraffe in Europe in recent times (Zarafa) to a downright hysteria. There are at the northern starry sky is a constellation called giraffe, but this is a neologism and has no mythological origin.

In sub-Saharan Africa were mainly giraffes trappers hunted. The long tendons were yearn for sheet music and instruments used in the skins were many peoples as status symbols. The meat is tough, but edible. The hunting methods of Africans were not threaten stocks. With the arrival of white settlers, the main reason for the giraffe hunting pure pleasure. Big game hunter is renowned with the number of them erschossener giraffes, and, in many areas, the animals rapidly rare. Today, giraffes almost everywhere rare. Only in the states of East Africa, there are abundant stocks. In the Serengeti National Park and about 13,000 live giraffes. The IUCN, the giraffe as a "subject of protective measures". However, some sub-species to near extinction, as the following section describes.

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