Are you coming?

Grazers could never complain about giraffe impact on their food supply. Nature equipped them for eating up there where few others reach the leaves.

Long neck and legs are not what give the giraffe its gait and ungainly gallop. It’s the front legs, about ten percent longer than the back ones that slope the body. But do not underestimate giraffe running speed. It reaches 55 km per hour, more likely fleeing than chasing.

Giraffa camelopardalis is the only species of its African genus, while nine subspecies are recognised, mainly differing in coat patterns and geographical distribution. About eight extinct giraffe species have been identified in research. Giraffe numbers in the bush are decreasing but still thought to be of no concern in species survival terms.

The first recording of a giraffe sighting in South Africa in 1663 noted them as camels. The South African giraffe, called the Cape giraffe, today occurs in those parts of the country furthest away from the Cape.

The specific name, camelopardalis, links camel as well as leopard in name, the one for form, the other for patchy colouring. People with writing skills clearly saw these animals only after becoming familiar with the other two, at a loss for words at first gawp.

The giraffe is unusual in many respects. Apart from being the tallest animal with the longest legs, it is the biggest ruminant and has the biggest eyes. The neck of a bull weighs about 270 kg. The brain constitutes 0,2% of body mass, more than ten times less than in humans. Giraffe blood pressure and heart rate are about double that of a human, while it breathes 20 times per minute, compared to people’s 12 times.

They can eat 34 kg of mainly upper leaves per day, taking their time over this as ruminants, up to 20 hours per day. They sculpt tree canopies by pruning away delectable soft bits of leaf, flower and fruit, oblivious of their artistic impact. Giraffes are much less invasive or brutal in dealing with trees than elephants.

In browsing they move to the next tree within minutes, as book browsers turn pages. Giraffes do this for two reasons: Firstly, ants living in the tree become alarmed and move around frantically when browsing starts. This irritates giraffe eyes in spite of their long protective lashes. Secondly, tannin is promptly produced by the browsed tree near leaf stalks, making leaves bitter and interfering with animal digestion.

When food is scarce, giraffes will eat from low bushes, their diets sometimes comprising over 100 plant species (Riëtte, 2016; Wikipedia).