The tallest giraffe in the world reaches a height of 5.5 m. In the Guinness Book of Records, the giraffe is considered the record holder for the tallest height. The attention of scientists has always been attracted by the structure of the animal’s neck. Despite such a long neck, the animal has only 7 cervical vertebrae, that is, the same number as other mammals. The length of the giraffe's neck is 2 m. An adult mammal can weigh more than 1 ton.
The tallest giraffe in the world reaches a height of 5.5 m.
Characteristics of the giraffe
In order for the entire body and head, located at the end of the long neck, to be supplied with blood, nature endowed the animal with a huge heart, which weighs 12 kg. It creates pressure that is 3 times greater than that of a person. The circulatory system is equipped with special valves that regulate blood flow. Without them, the animal would die by simply lowering its head.
The giraffe's stride length can reach 6 m. It runs very fast and can overtake a racehorse, but at a short distance. Even if the giraffe moves slowly, you will still have to run after it. He ambles, first moving his right legs, then his left. Jumping high is easy for a giraffe. He can easily jump over a barrier 2 m high. But he will not be able to walk through a swamp or other body of water due to his large body mass and long thin legs.
Nutrition and lifestyle
Giraffes lead a social lifestyle and live in large open herds. In one herd there are on average 10-20 individuals, the maximum recorded number of inhabitants reached 70 animals. A giraffe can join or leave the herd voluntarily, at its own discretion. These mammals are considered to be very fast, reaching speeds of up to 60 km per hour and covering long distances.
Giraffes rest at night in a standing position, taking a certain position. The animal lowers its head onto its hind leg, and its neck takes the shape of a small arch. The supine position during sleep is rarely accepted. The eyes are not completely closed, slightly open, the ears twitch normally. They have the minimum need for sleep duration of all mammals - about 2 hours per day.
To establish their superiority in the pack, fights are organized. Adult males participate in the fight. Sparring begins with walking next to each other, horizontal necks pointing forward. Then the necks are intertwined, the heads are leaned close to each other - this is necessary to assess the strength of the enemy. After the assessment, a blow to the neck and head is applied. The impact is severe and some giraffes are knocked down and severely injured.
Giraffes are ruminant mammals with a four-chambered stomach and feed on plant foods. Most of the day - up to 20 o'clock - is spent eating. The main diet consists of the following products:
- tree leaves;
- flowers;
- seeds;
- fruits.
They obtain minerals from the soil of the savannah. Among the trees that are used are the leaves of acacia senegalese, mimosa pudica, combretum parviflora, and apricots. During long journeys, they can remain for a long time without eating, replacing it with chewing gum. Preference is given to acacia leaves. To tear off leaves, the giraffe pulls up and bends a tree branch, grabbing it with its mouth, and tears off the leaves with its lips. The presence of thorns does not prevent acacia from being eaten; the giraffe's molars are capable of grinding them in the process of absorption along with the leaves. Females are selective in choosing trees; they prefer high-calorie leaves, obtaining them from the lower branches.
An adult animal consumes 65 kg of food per day. In a critical situation during drought, a giraffe needs to reduce its diet to 7 kg of food per day to survive. They can consume up to 35 liters of liquid at one time.
Characteristics of an ostrich
If among animals the record holder for height is the giraffe, then among birds it is the African ostrich. It not only surpasses other birds in weight category, but is also the tallest among birds.
The ostrich notices the enemy from a long distance thanks to excellent vision and a long straight neck on which a small flat head is located. If the bird notices danger, it will immediately take flight. Adult ostriches run at a speed of 60-70 km/h, and cubs accelerate to 50 km/h.
If among animals the record holder for height is the giraffe, then among birds it is the African ostrich.
The largest ostrich (male) reaches a height of 2.7 m, and the female - 2.5 m. If you compare its height with a riding horse, the horse is much lower - its height is 1.7 m. The height of the ostrich is due to its long neck and tall thin legs. The record holder was an African male, the height of the ostrich is 3.1 m. The weight of an average ostrich, depending on gender, ranges from 55 to 75 kg (males are usually heavier than females). The weight of a large African ostrich sometimes reaches 130-156 kg.
Despite their large size, they lay relatively small eggs - from 15 to 22 cm. But the weight of one egg reaches 2 kg. The eggshell is white with a yellowish tint.
Ostriches are ratites, which means they are not adapted for flight. They have very well developed legs, which have only two toes. The body is evenly covered with feathers, but there are none on the legs and neck. The feathers of males are usually black with a white edge on the tail, while those of the female are gray.
Second place - elephant
African elephant
When thinking about the largest animals on the planet, many people first of all remember the elephant. And this is true - the African elephant is the largest land animal, weighing an impressive 4000 kg, and reaching 3.5 meters at the withers . Its extinct relatives, the mammoths, reached 4 meters at the withers, and the Indian elephant grows up to 3 meters, slightly inferior to its African counterpart. These are exceptionally smart animals - the Asian elephant is easy to train and serves people by performing various jobs. The African elephant is not subject to training , but it also lives in family groups, where complex relationships can be traced.
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Elephants are slow-reproducing animals, and during her entire life, which can last more than a hundred years, a female gives birth to no more than 10-12 cubs. Our article explains in more detail how the African elephant differs from the Asian one.
Animal Basics
Giraffes, by their way of life, do not live in herds. This makes them significantly different from representatives of other ungulates. Occasionally they form groups (mostly females), but do not become strongly attached to each other. They are completely herbivores, which determined where giraffes lived before the development of human civilization. In ancient times, they largely populated northern Africa. Even during the times of ancient Egypt, their numbers, according to archaeological finds, were quite high. But even during the existence of this ancient state, its subjects literally eradicated giraffes.
Today, the tallest animals live in the arid regions of Africa. Since they are great admirers of acacia leaves, they settle where these trees grow in significant quantities. They prefer to stay on the savannah plains, where there is always enough acacia.
The type of giraffes and the pattern of spots depend on the area of residence. In the 20th century, their range decreased significantly. Now these majestic ungulates are forced to settle in nature reserves and national parks in African countries.
Moa
Huge moa birds (Dinornithiformes) did not live in Australia, but in nearby New Zealand. The height of the tallest representatives of these birds reached 3.6 meters, and their body weight was 250 kilograms. These birds ate plants and led a very peaceful lifestyle. For a long time, nothing threatened their lives, so they were practically deprived of plumage. However, when the first people appeared in Australia, the carefree life of these creatures came to an end. Hunters exterminated them in just 100 years, without allowing the birds to develop a defensive strategy. You can read more about these birds in this article.
However, sometimes moa birds were attacked by predators
South African
This subspecies of giraffes has chosen its territory to live in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia. A distinctive feature is round spots on a reddish background. It's good to know that they are not considered an endangered species yet. Population growth is observed periodically.
In South Africa, the giraffe population is maintained in large numbers in the oldest Kruger National Park. It is part of the UNESCO International Biological Program biosphere reserve. It was named in honor of President Paul Kruger, on whose initiative the environmental protection zone was created. Between the Sabi and Crocodile rivers, the Sabi reserve was founded, where hunting was limited, including giraffes. On the basis of this place, the Kruger zone was created, which later became the first national park of the Republic of South Africa.
Zimbabwe can be proud of Hwange National Park. This is the place where giraffes of a poor country live, numbering about 3 thousand individuals. In other protected areas of Zimbabwe, giraffes are not numerous. Namibia’s most famous national park, Etosha, can also boast of them. Of course, it consists entirely of savannas, which is a natural habitat for the tallest animals and those who like to eat acacias. In Mozambique, giraffes inhabit the Limpopo National Park, which borders the Kruger Conservation Area.
Kutse Nature Reserve is located 210 kilometers from the capital of Botswana. In addition to the abundance of various predatory and ungulate animals, Kutse is almost the only place in Botswana where giraffes live.
Zaglossus hacketti
Well, finally the time has come to talk about strange creatures of the species Zaglossus hacketti, which do not have a Russian name. The length of these animals did not exceed 1 meter, and the weight was usually 30 kilograms. That is, they were approximately like modern sheep. They had an elongated face, like an anteater. In principle, they led almost the same lifestyle. Unusual animals ate ants, larvae and worms, and their body covered with thorns saved them from predators. Even these unusual creatures became extinct several thousand years ago due to human activity.
Zaglossus hacketti
If you liked reading about unusual animals, I recommend the material about the most toothy creature on Earth. Their oral cavity contains from 80 to 100 teeth, and their body is covered with durable armor. Have you already guessed who we are talking about?
Common giant lizard (Tiliqua scincoides)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Found wandering through tussocks of grass and forest leaf litter, this long lizard is about 60cm long and is known for sticking out its blue tongue. The common giant lizard uses its brightly colored tongue to ward off predators by sticking out its tongue and sticking out its bodies to appear larger and more dangerous, according to the Australian Museum. ()
According to the San Diego Wildlife Alliance, the front of the tongue reflects ultraviolet (UV) light. This suggests that common predators of common giant lizards, such as bird species that can see UV rays, will be stunned by the flash of UV radiation and will think twice before attacking them. ()
Giant goose
Also in ancient Australia there lived giant geese (Genyornis newtoni) with a 2-meter height and a body weight of about 240 kilograms. According to scientists, they were herbivores because they did not have sharp claws like birds of prey. But they had a large and powerful beak, which, most likely, could even crack nuts. In May 2010, archaeologists were exploring caves in Australia and found rock paintings depicting these animals. Based on this, it can be assumed that these birds were very important for the life of ancient people as a source of food. This could have caused the extinction of giant geese about 40 thousand years ago.
Giant goose of ancient Australia
