Why does a giraffe have a long neck? Detailed answer

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Why does a giraffe have a long neck? Detailed answer

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Why does a giraffe have a long neck?

Since ancient times, giraffes have aroused human curiosity. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks believed that giraffes were a cross between a leopard and a camel, and called it a "camel-pard".

The giraffe is the tallest of all animals living on Earth. However, scientists cannot explain the origin of its long neck. The famous French zoologist Jean Baptiste Lamarck theorized that the giraffe's neck was once much shorter than it is today. He believed that it had grown to its present length because of the animal's habit of reaching for tender young leaves on the upper branches of trees. But most scientists do not accept Lamarck's theory.

It is surprising that the body of a giraffe is no larger than the body of an average horse. Its huge growth, which can reach 6 m, is mainly due to the legs and neck. In the neck of a giraffe, like a person, there are only seven vertebrae. But each vertebra is very long. Therefore, the neck of a giraffe is ossified, inflexible. If he wants to drink water from the ground, he needs to spread his legs wide apart to reach her.

The seemingly strange structure of the giraffe serves him well in obtaining food. The giraffe eats only plants, and its enormous growth helps it to get leaves from trees growing in the African savannah, where there is very little low grass.

The giraffe's tongue often reaches a length of 46 cm, and the animal can use it so skillfully that it manages to pluck, without pricking, the smallest leaves from thorny plants. And the long upper lip helps to capture more leaves.

The giraffe is able to protect itself from danger in many ways. First of all, the coloration of the skin makes it practically invisible when it eats in the shade of trees. He has a delicate hearing due to well-developed ears that pick up the faintest sounds, and sharp eyesight. And finally, a giraffe can gallop at over 50 km/h when being chased and outrun the fastest horse!

When attacked, the giraffe can prove to be a good fighter by kicking with its hind legs or using its head as a sledgehammer. Even a lion, hunting a giraffe, is careful, always approaching him from behind!

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What did the American, who was considered by many to be the smartest man in history, achieve?

William James Sidis, an American born in 1898, could read the New York Times at the age of one and a half, knew eight languages by the age of eight and invented another one on his own, and at the age of 11 he entered Harvard, where a year later he lectured on four-dimensional bodies at math circle. His IQ has been estimated at 250-300, although these numbers may be exaggerated because Sidis never passed an IQ test. However, such an early start did not bring him fame - having received a bachelor's degree at the age of 16 and having worked for some time as a teacher, he retired from public life. Working as a simple accountant and in other unskilled positions, Sidis devoted himself to collecting and studying transportation systems, and sometimes published works in various fields of knowledge: anthropology, philology, cosmology, and Indian history.

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