Male Giraffe Behaviour

Despite its extreme length, a giraffe's neck is nonetheless too short to reach the ground/water or in this case a "salt-lick". Since I've discussed the difference in colour, patches and patterns of giraffe-coats before [SEE: previous blog-entries, esp during April 2013] today I want to concentrate on giraffe-facts, i.e. behaviour traits mostly "connected" to the giraffe's neck.

2 different giraffe the same "behaviour" (I photographed the giraffe above in the Pilansberg Game reserve whereas this giraffe "hails" from Namibia) - both look awkward as they have to spread their front legs in order to reach the ground.

During the same awkward-looking manoeuvre when reaching down to drink, a jugular vein contaning a series of 1-way valves prevents the back-flow of blood when a giraffe's head is bent down - this in fact prevents the giraffe from blacking out!

Another giraffe-way of reaching the water level to drink is to bend its knees (instead of spreading)  . . .

. . . so these 2 drinking giraffe obligingly demonstrate both ways of reaching low at one-and-the-same-time :)

Since giraffe usually only sleep for approx 5 minutes, they tend to rest whilst standing up. However they sometimes do lie down on the ground to sleep, in which case a giraffe tucks its front legs under itself . . .

. . . and holds its head up (or curls its neck back to rest its head on its rump).

Giraffe can moo, his, roar or whistle - although that is rarely heard. However finding male giraffe using their necks as weapons in combat occurs regularly - this behaviour is known as "necking", which is employed to establish dominance.

During "low" intensity necking, the combatants rub & lean against each other; however during "high" intensity bouts the combatants swing their necks at each other, landing heavy blows.

After a duel it is common behaviour for the 2 male giraffe to caress & court each other, leading to mounting & climax. Such interactions between male giraffe was found to happen far more frequently than heterosexual coupling.

Just for YOU

As promised - JUST FOR YOU (you know who you are) - the magnificent looking Noordhoek Beach just before Kommetjie along the Cape Peninsula.

At the same time I'm "using this opportunity" to post a few of the wild animals, which we encountered in the Kruger National Park during the last tour I guided (4-17 May).

Looks as if this buffalo wasn't amused by us disturbing him from feeding.

Is this female impala trying to say something?

Similarly this wildebeest appears to talk to us :)

Also not appearing amused this male warthog certainly is clearly "displaying" the 4 warts (on his face) from which it derives its name.

On our way out of this game park we "discovered" a few hyena habitually hiding their young in the drainage systems under many a road.

A Closer Look

In conclusion of the "debate" about the 2 uniquely African animals - to which subspecies (of giraffe or zebra) they might belong - I thought of concentrating on (or having a closer look at) their coat/fur/hide.

When comparing the fur of this giraffe (photographed in the Pilansberg Game Reserve) . . . 

. . . with this giraffe's (photographed on a private game reserve in Namibia), the colour is very similar but the (pattern of the) spots is quite different.

In contrast this giraffe's spots are similar to those on the hide of the first-closer-look giraffe but the colour of the spots is entirely different (to those of the 2 above)  . . .

. . . whereas the colour of the spots is similar between these 2 (last) giraffe hides (both photographed in the Etosha Game Reserve), the size of the spots vary - especially with regard to more whitish/beige hair "between" the spots on this giraffe's coat . . .

. . . and yet another slight difference is visible when comparing the furs of the last 3 giraffe (this giraffe was photographed in the Hluhluwe Game Park) . . . 

. . . whereas colour-wise this giraffe (photograped in the Kruger National Park) is in a "class of its own" - yet geographically all of these giraffe should "belong" to only 1 of the 9 subspecies of giraffe found in Africa - the South African (or Transvaal) giraffe.

After a last closer look at the fur of a giraffe, let's take one more look at the numerous variations in the stripe-pattern of a typical Plains (commonly referred to as Burchell's) zebra - with its black flank stripes also covering the underparts, as well as the narrow (brown, yellow or grey) "shadow stripes" between the broad black rump stripes.

After some "resistance" at first, because I was under the impression that this is a different species instead of a subspecies of the Plains (Burchell's) zebra, I now believe that this is a Grant's zebra - even if there aren't any (visible) shadow stripes on the coat!!

In contrast I'm still not sure if we are looking at another subspecies of the Plains zebra, namely 2 Damara zebra - because they have (completely) white legs & were photographed in the Etosha Game reserve (where geological this subspecies is "at home") - OR if these are "real" Burchell's zebra (since according to some sources, the Burchell's is a subspecies of the Plains zebra) - this subspecies is also said to have NO stripes on the legs!!??

Young Giraffe

According to what I posted recently about possible distinguishing features amongst giraffe (& before that, zebra), the observation that giraffe appear to select mates of the same coat type seems to be the case in this (family) photo.

Since 'coat type' refers to the (spot) pattern as well as the colour of the fur, the colouring of this young giraffe certainly is different to that of the giraffe above . . .

. . . as is most certainly also the case with this young giraffe . . .

. . . ditto . . .

. . . ditto . . .

. . . ditto - meaning that the colouring within the same group i.e. the South African (OR Transvaal) giraffe subspecies differs hugely BUT that the pattern - i.e. rounded OR blotched spots, some with star-like "extensions" - is very similar for all of the giraffe youngsters (on "this page") . . .

 . . . because they were all photographed in game reserves across South Africa (& therefore are members of the same subspecies) . . .

 . . . which also is the case for this creche (of giraffe youngsters), although they were photographed in Namibia - where another subspecies, the Angolan/Namibian giraffe, is at home BUT lives "side-by-side" with the South African/ Transvaal giraffe [SEE: previous 2 blog-entries].

Long Necks

Apart from the fact that a giraffe derives its (species) name, (Giraffa) camelopardalis from its camel-like gait as well as the patches on its fur, which are leopard-like . . .

. . . a giraffe is also the tallest animals in the world because of its extremely elongated neck (can be up to 2m long), which is NOT the result of additional vertebrae (= 7 bones) but instead it's a disproportinate lengethening of the cervical vertebrae.

As I've mentioned before [SEE: previous blog-entry] each individual giraffe has a unique coat pattern . . .

. . . which also varies in colour - from orange to fawn, chestnut, brown or even nearly black, seperated by light hair - usually white or cream in colour - . . . 

. . . whereas a giraffe's spots is a key distinguishing factor to determine which (of 9) subspecies it's a member . . .

. . . whilst the coat pattern serves as camouflage amongst the foliage it browses, allowing a giraffe to blend in the light and shade patterns of savanna woodlands.

As I've done in the previous blog-entry, I'm sharing (today: mostly neck-&-face) photos of giraffe to "demonstrate" how vast the difference is even amongst giraffe of the same subspecies . . .

. . . which in this (my) case is the South African (also known as the transvaal) giraffe - and of which some are very handsome species, others a little deformed . . .

. . . and others possibly NOT amused by my comments??? Or why else would it stick out its (relatively) long tongue?

Giraffe Comparison

After trying to make sense to which species or sub-species certain zebra belong [SEE: some of my recent blog entries] what about the giraffe, also a typical African-savanna-animal?

Like zebra, with their different-patterned stripes unique to each animal, giraffe also have unique coat patterns AND different colouring - as these 3 giraffe males, photographed in a private game reserve in Swaziland, "reveal".

On the other hand, these 3 giraffe males, photographed in the Pilansberg Game Reserve (North-West Province), are coloured similarly. The species (Latin) name for a giraffe is: (Giraffa) camelopardalis - referring to camel-like traits, but also to the patches of colour, which are leopard-like!!

As the 3 more "typical-looking" giraffe (above), this giraffe also "hails" from the Pilansberg Game Reserve - although colour- & patch-wise, it seems to belong to another of the apparently 9 sub-species of giraffe found across Africa.

Similar in appearance as the previous giraffe, this male - photographed at a private game reserve in Namibia - also appears different patch- and colour-wise than giraffes in general . . .

. . . as is also the case with this giraffe - also photograped in Namibia, with the Etosha Pan (filled with water) in the background. In particular,  check the size of this giraffe's head - rather smaller than more customarily, right?

This giraffe was photographed at virtually the same spot as the one above - proving, I think, that more than 1 of the 9 subspecies of giraffe can be found in the Etosha Game Reserve.

After the 3 different-looking giraffe above, all nonetheless "hailing from" Namibia, I photographed this giraffe quite recently in a private game reserve here in the Eastern Cape - but more in support of the general opinion that male giraffe become darker as they age!?

This unusually dark male giraffe, photograped in the Kruger National Park, looks as if its in the prime of its life (instead of being old) & therefore seems to reinforce what I personally believe: that colouring varies geographically (instead of with age) . . .

. . . as this female giraffe, also from the Kruger National Park, appears to prove: that the colouring could also be a matter of genetics!?

How do I know this is a female? Just look at the horns! The ones on a male's head are thicker, V-like & bald - in contrast to a female's, which are thinner & have tuffts of hair on the horns.