Everything in the living world goes through a single development cycle: birth-growing-death. Reproduction is the basis for saving life on the planet. In adults, cubs are born - mice, kittens, lion cubs, elephants and ... giraffes? What is the name of the baby giraffe? Let's try to answer this question and at the same time surprise with facts about this wonderful animal.
Tallest animal in the world
A 5-6 meter spotted artiodactyl wanders through the savannahs of Africa - a giraffe. Of all living on Earth, this animal is the highest. The average indicators of its size: height 5.5 m to the crown and about 3 m at the withers, average weight - 1.5 tons. The newborn little giraffe has a full growth of up to 2 m and weighs about 50 kg. Larger than an adult giraffe is only a rhino, a hippopotamus and an elephant. Like other mammals, males are larger than females.
general description
The skin of a giraffe is very beautifully painted with irregular shapes in dark brown spots. They are of different sizes and are divided among themselves by whitish gaps. The color of each individual is unique and, like fingerprints, has no analogues.
A long - 1.5 m - neck has 7 vertebrae, as in most mammals. Vertebrae, however, are very elongated in length.
On the head of a giraffe, as many as 5 horns can grow - 2 true 20 cm long on the crown, 1 between the eyes (like a mythical unicorn), 2 "false horn" in the upper part of the head. But most of these animals are two-horned.
This artiodactyl runs in only 2 ways:
- amble, rearranging alternately simultaneously 2 left legs, then 2 right legs;
- gallop. Now 2 front legs are thrown out at the same time, then 2 back legs, again 2 front legs, 2 rear legs. Although it looks very awkward, but in this way the speed develops over 55 km / h.
His vision is incredibly sharp. And so he stands as a tower, observing from the height of his gigantic growth the vast expanses of the savannah ...
Giraffes are ruminant artiodactyls, like cows. They feed exclusively on plant foods. Most of all they like acacia spines. A day, one individual is able to eat up to 35 kg of greens and more.
Giraffes brush their tongue, licking their ears like domestic cats.
Giraffes are not very sentimental. They live alone or in small herds. Show moderate affection. Although mothers are very selflessly protecting their offspring.
From enemies - lions, leopards, hyenas, humans - the highest mammal escapes. Very rarely responds in battle. But fights happen with predators. Defending itself, a giraffe with a blow of a hoof (up to 23 cm in diameter) easily defeats even a lion.
Under favorable conditions, a giraffe can live up to 30 years. The record of longevity of a male in captivity is 36 years.
Breeding giraffes
Maturity occurs at the age of 4. The female is able to give birth to the next 15 years. The mating season falls on the rainy season - July-September. At this time, peaceful and good-natured giraffes arrange spectacular ritual fights.
The pregnancy of the female, as with all large animals, is long. It lasts about 14-15 months. Only 1 cub of a giraffe is always born.
An hour later, the baby stands well on thin legs, and after another couple of hours it starts to get naughty. The female takes care of the giraffe for one and a half years, while he sucks milk. Although he is able to pinch green grass at the age of several weeks. At the same age, offspring are allowed in the herd.
Still, what is the name of the baby giraffe?
If you think in a scientific way, then in zoology a giraffe is a cloven-hoofed ruminant mammal. Toddlers of all artiodactyls are called calves. So what is the name of the baby giraffe? Also a calf? But a goat is born in a goat, and a deer in a deer. They are not called calves. So a giraffe, a giraffe, or a giraffe can be born to a giraffe.
Interestingly, in the "Spelling Dictionary" published by the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2001 under the editorship of V.V. Lopatin there is such a word "giraffe", as in the "Big Explanatory Dictionary", published in 1998 in St. Petersburg under Edited by A. S. Kuznetsov.
But if in doubt and don’t want to get into a mess, call it simply - a baby giraffe. The photo shows how cute and cute they are.
It is interesting to know that ...
1. Five-horned giraffes are found. This is not the influence of Chernobyl, but a completely common natural phenomenon.
2. In height, they grow up to 6 years.
3. During a gallop, the giraffe’s neck dangles very much from side to side, writing out a figure eight. It seems that now she will tie into a knot.
4. Their saliva is incredibly thick, which helps to swallow favorite acacia spines without damaging the larynx.
5. Without water, the world's highest animal can take longer than a camel — weeks, or even months.
6. Births occur while standing, so newborn giraffes (a couple of lines back we found out what the baby giraffe is called), when they are born, first fall to the ground from a 2-meter height. However, this in no way affects their health.
7. Sleeping him enough 20-120 minutes a day.
8. It is generally accepted that they are voiceless. In fact, communicating, giraffes make sounds with a frequency below 20 Hz, which is elusive to the human ear.
9. Their absolutely black tongue has a length of more than 40 cm. The "long" tongues of these "gossipers"!
10. They also have the largest heart in the world (literally): weighing 10-11 kg, 60 cm long and with a wall thickness of 6 cm. These ruminants also have the highest blood pressure among animals.