Читать книгу Nature’s Babies - Mike Dilger - Страница 11

It’s quite a boast to declare that one is the tallest of all land-living animals, and one which the giraffe is able to make without fear of contradiction. Over thousands of years giraffes have gradually evolved from their shorter-necked ancestors so that today the largest males can reach the dizzying height of 5 m (16 ft) – to the very tips of their horns! The giraffe’s height enables it to browse its favourite food of spiny acacia leaves at levels higher than all the other herbivores are capable of reaching.

In addition to an impressive neck, which incidentally only contains the same number of bones as a human neck (seven), the giraffe possesses long, elegant legs which can produce impressive bursts of speed when necessary and also keep hungry lions at bay with powerful kicks.

Female giraffes associate in small groups whilst the males live either in ‘bachelor’ herds or on their own. The older and larger males tend to mate most of the females in the herd after seeing off any competition through a series of jousts where necks and heads are frequently swung like a wrecking ball-and-chain to assert dominance. The gestation period of the giraffe is long and can last up to 15 months, and the mother gives birth to the single calf standing up. This means that the newborn calf’s entry into the world entails it landing with a terrific thud on the ground below. Within just a few hours the world’s tallest baby is capable of following its mother. This is absolutely essential; there are so many predators on the prowl that the youngster really does have to hit the ground running!

© Andy RouseINHPA

Even the world’s tallest baby has to look up to its mother!