![]() Giraffes have home ranges but are not territorial. However, the Angolan giraffe, which occurs in Namibia as well, prefers a more desert environment. They are, however, most common in southern and eastern Africa, where the savannas and open woodlands offer the perfect habitat. With a range that extends all over most of Africa, the giraffe is a staple sighting on any African safari. Underneath their spotted coats, however, the giraffe is actually gray in colour, with a skin that is quite thick and allows it some protection from thorns. With age, male giraffes may become darker, and while calves inherit spot patterns from their mothers, each giraffe has a unique coat pattern that sets it apart. The giraffe’s coat is characterised by dark blotches on lighter hair. Giraffes use their tongues to deftly pick leaves from between thorns. Moreover, it has a sharp sense of hearing and smell, another defense against predators, while it can close its nostrils during sandstorms and against ants.Ĭonsidering its long neck, it’s no wonder the giraffe has an unusually long tongue – about 45 cm to be exact. ![]() The giraffe sees in colour and its eyes are located on either side of its head, giving it a good view of its surroundings and any approaching predators. Considering the length of its neck and legs, the giraffe’s body is quite short. Journal of Zoology 316:49-60.With nine subspecies sharing its distinctive characteristics, the giraffe is the tallest land animal and the largest ruminant on earth. ![]() Exploring the connections between giraffe skin disease and lion predation. This research however, demonstrates that GSD may indirectly do so by increasing affected individuals vulnerability to lion predation. It is presently unclear whether GSD directly reduces the survivability of giraffes. This research does not definitively identify that giraffes with GSD are more vulnerable to lion predation, but it does suggest that there may be a mechanistic link. The authors also found that lion marks, which provided the evidence of a previous lion hunting attempt, were more common among giraffes with severe GSD. They found that giraffes, among 16 different prey species detected as pursued by lions, were killed most often by lions (27%, n = 171 of 641). To explore this hypothesis, the team followed lions to estimate the rate at which giraffes were targeted and conducted giraffe surveys to detect evidence of previous lion hunting attempts, indicated by missing tails and claw marks on the back of giraffes. As the GSD lesions are located on the legs of giraffes in Ruaha, the hypothesis was that giraffes with GSD might be less able to evade lion hunting attempts. ![]() Arthur Muneza, evaluated whether the incidence of GSD affected lion predation of giraffes in Ruaha. Given these defense mechanisms, and the fact that a variety of other prey species exist in Ruaha, it was not clear why lions seem to be targeting giraffes. Giraffes are a large and formidable prey species that can easily injure a lion with a well-placed kick. In that same national park, biologists with the Ruaha Carnivore Project (now Lion Landscapes) have also found that lions appear to prey on giraffes relatively frequently. Though detected across the range of giraffes, a hotspot for GSD is in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, where 85% of the giraffe population has this disease. The disease manifests as large flaky skin lesions that appear to irritate and itch affected giraffes. ![]() This is an emergent disease of presently unknown causes, which has been found to affect giraffes both in the wild and in captivity. A new study by a team at WildCRU has explored potential connections between lion predation and Giraffe Skin Disease (GSD). ![]()
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