Giraffes Unlike Any Other Creature In Many Ways
December 13, 2017 at 7:08 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
Losing these magnificent animals to poachers would be a tragedy for a number of reasons in addition to the fact that people love watching them. The giraffe's anatomy is unique, unlike any other inhabitant on earth and the extremely long neck and knobby legs combine to elevate its stature as the tallest terrestrial animal.
Physiologists, anatomists and clinicians have also been intrigued by the challenges presented by the anatomy on three major systems: the cardiovascular which maintains blood pressure stability; the musculoskeletal, to support a vertically elongated body mass; and the nervous system to rapidly relay signally over long neural networks. It is difficult to know just what to make of giraffes, they shuffle like a camel (right legs forward, then left legs), but run like a rabbit (hind legs forward, then front legs). The giraffe bellows, hisses and moans and makes flute-like sounds in the wild, and in captivity hums in the dark. During courtship, males emit loud coughs. A giraffe naps with its head aloft, but sleeps like a swan with its head on its haunches.
The name "giraffe" has its earliest known origins in the Arabic word zarafah, translated as "fast-walker." Giraffes were once common throughout Africa, but their range has continuously diminished. Unfortunately, only about 300 West African giraffes are known to exist and other subspecies are also endangered.
Giraffes were new and exciting to people who had never seen them before, but not to those areas of Africa where they were killed for food even before guns were introduced to the continent. A dead giraffe offered a wealth of opportunity for fresh meat, the long bones contained much marrow and used for fertilizer, and the leg tendons could be used for sewing, or as guitar or bow strings. The hides were made into pots, buckets, drum covers, whips, sandals or shields. Long tails were especially valued for switches or ornaments, the hairs used as threads by Masai women to sew beads onto clothing. The tails are also used for marriage dowries.
Fully grown giraffes stand from 14 to 18 feet tall, with males taller than females. The average weight is about 2600 pounds for an adult male, and 1825 for a female. Their life span is unusually long compared to other ruminants, up to 25 years in the wild. (Ruminants have four chambered stomachs and regurgitate their food.) Giraffes have large bulging eyes which provide good all-around vision from the great height, and the senses of hearing and smell are acute. Giraffes can close their muscular nostrils to protect against sandstorms and ants. The lips, tongue (18 inches long) and inside of the mouth are covered in papillae to protect against thorns. Their thick saliva helps coat any thorns they may swallow.
As mentioned earlier, the most obvious giraffe feature is the extremely long neck, which varies from 6 to 8 feet. The reason is the result of a disproportionate lengthening of the cervical vertebrae, and not from the additional vertebrae. Birth is another oddity. A mother giraffe stands when it occurs and the baby precipitously drops five or more feet to the ground. Fortunately the new born is relaxed and unlikely to be injured.
The circulatory system of the giraffe has a number of variations due to its height. The turbocharged heart, which can weigh more than 25 pounds measures about 2 feet long and must generate approximately double the blood pressure required for a human to maintain blood flow to the brain. As such, the heart walls are about 3 inches thick. And giraffes have unusually high heart rates for their size, at about 150 beats per minute and the blood pressure is two and half times that of a human. Giraffes grow more hypertensive as they age. Fortunately the blood vessels in the lower legs are greatly thickened to withstand the increased pressure due to the weight of fluid pressing down on them. To solve this problem, the skin of the lower legs is stiff and tight, preventing too much blood from pouring into them. The skin thus serves the same task as a compression stocking and has been used in a number of scientific experiments, such as to develop suits for astronauts and fighter pilots.
Another strange characteristic is the giraffe's distinctive and strong aroma which can be detected over a considerable distance, estimated to be at least 250 meters or more than 800 feet. Two highly odoriferous compounds found in giraffe hair appear to be responsible. The scent may also serve a sexual function, as males smell stronger than females. Giraffes also have an unusual diet that includes toxic plants, shrubs and fruit and an appetite that includes eating up to 75 pounds daily.
Fortunately, there are institutions like the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in Namibia and others who endeavor to save these magnificent and majestic animals. Let's hope they are not too late.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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Losing these magnificent animals to poachers would be a tragedy for a number of reasons in addition to the fact that people love watching them. The giraffe's anatomy is unique, unlike any other inhabitant on earth and the extremely long neck and knobby legs combine to elevate its stature as the tallest terrestrial animal.
Physiologists, anatomists and clinicians have also been intrigued by the challenges presented by the anatomy on three major systems: the cardiovascular which maintains blood pressure stability; the musculoskeletal, to support a vertically elongated body mass; and the nervous system to rapidly relay signally over long neural networks. It is difficult to know just what to make of giraffes, they shuffle like a camel (right legs forward, then left legs), but run like a rabbit (hind legs forward, then front legs). The giraffe bellows, hisses and moans and makes flute-like sounds in the wild, and in captivity hums in the dark. During courtship, males emit loud coughs. A giraffe naps with its head aloft, but sleeps like a swan with its head on its haunches.
The name "giraffe" has its earliest known origins in the Arabic word zarafah, translated as "fast-walker." Giraffes were once common throughout Africa, but their range has continuously diminished. Unfortunately, only about 300 West African giraffes are known to exist and other subspecies are also endangered.
Giraffes were new and exciting to people who had never seen them before, but not to those areas of Africa where they were killed for food even before guns were introduced to the continent. A dead giraffe offered a wealth of opportunity for fresh meat, the long bones contained much marrow and used for fertilizer, and the leg tendons could be used for sewing, or as guitar or bow strings. The hides were made into pots, buckets, drum covers, whips, sandals or shields. Long tails were especially valued for switches or ornaments, the hairs used as threads by Masai women to sew beads onto clothing. The tails are also used for marriage dowries.
Fully grown giraffes stand from 14 to 18 feet tall, with males taller than females. The average weight is about 2600 pounds for an adult male, and 1825 for a female. Their life span is unusually long compared to other ruminants, up to 25 years in the wild. (Ruminants have four chambered stomachs and regurgitate their food.) Giraffes have large bulging eyes which provide good all-around vision from the great height, and the senses of hearing and smell are acute. Giraffes can close their muscular nostrils to protect against sandstorms and ants. The lips, tongue (18 inches long) and inside of the mouth are covered in papillae to protect against thorns. Their thick saliva helps coat any thorns they may swallow.
As mentioned earlier, the most obvious giraffe feature is the extremely long neck, which varies from 6 to 8 feet. The reason is the result of a disproportionate lengthening of the cervical vertebrae, and not from the additional vertebrae. Birth is another oddity. A mother giraffe stands when it occurs and the baby precipitously drops five or more feet to the ground. Fortunately the new born is relaxed and unlikely to be injured.
The circulatory system of the giraffe has a number of variations due to its height. The turbocharged heart, which can weigh more than 25 pounds measures about 2 feet long and must generate approximately double the blood pressure required for a human to maintain blood flow to the brain. As such, the heart walls are about 3 inches thick. And giraffes have unusually high heart rates for their size, at about 150 beats per minute and the blood pressure is two and half times that of a human. Giraffes grow more hypertensive as they age. Fortunately the blood vessels in the lower legs are greatly thickened to withstand the increased pressure due to the weight of fluid pressing down on them. To solve this problem, the skin of the lower legs is stiff and tight, preventing too much blood from pouring into them. The skin thus serves the same task as a compression stocking and has been used in a number of scientific experiments, such as to develop suits for astronauts and fighter pilots.
Another strange characteristic is the giraffe's distinctive and strong aroma which can be detected over a considerable distance, estimated to be at least 250 meters or more than 800 feet. Two highly odoriferous compounds found in giraffe hair appear to be responsible. The scent may also serve a sexual function, as males smell stronger than females. Giraffes also have an unusual diet that includes toxic plants, shrubs and fruit and an appetite that includes eating up to 75 pounds daily.
Fortunately, there are institutions like the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in Namibia and others who endeavor to save these magnificent and majestic animals. Let's hope they are not too late.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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