One of the most interesting and unusual animals on the planet is the inhabitant of the African continent giraffe. Few people in Europe saw it in reality and therefore have no idea which animal is the highest in the world, what it looks like, what lifestyle it leads. But interesting is the fact that he is loved all over the world. Giraffe is a very graceful and elegant animal. However, he was called the tallest animal on the planet for a reason, but because of its truly gigantic size. An adult can reach 6 meters, and the weight can exceed a ton. The main distinguishing feature of these animals is their neck, which is much larger than the body.
In this article, we will consider which animal is the highest in the world, its lifestyle and the history of the discovery of the family.
Species history
For the first time, people learned about the existence of a giraffe about 40 thousand years ago. It was at this time that the ancestors of modern man began the development of the African continent. Then mankind found out which animal is the highest in the world. In support of this, there are a number of cave paintings and hieroglyphs that tell about a meeting with a giraffe. They were knocked out about forty thousand years ago on stones that were located in what is now Libya. These figures depict both the animals themselves and the scenes of people communicating with them. So, in one of the cave paintings you can see a man sitting on the back of a giraffe. Scientists do not fully understand whether this image was a fantasy of the artist or the ancient ancestors of man really managed to domesticate the tallest animal in the world and use it as a horse.
Also, historical facts indicate that giraffes were known in the Roman Empire at the time of Julius Caesar. It was then that the ancient Romans learned which animal is the highest of the existing. This was due to Arab merchants importing strange birds and animals to the Roman markets. A few hundred years later, Europeans were able to take a good look at this African inhabitant when Lorenze de Medici in the mid-fifteenth century received a giraffe as a gift from one of the Arab sheikhs.
After another 300 years in Europe, they learned about the giraffe thanks to another gift. The French king Charles X received a giraffe from an Egyptian pasha in 1825. It is noteworthy that then it did not become the property of the royal court alone. On the contrary, the highest animal giraffe was demonstrated in the Paris Square to everyone. This mammal received its name from Karl Linnaeus. In Latin, it is included in the animal classifier as Giraffa camelopardalis. The first part of the name comes from the Arabic word "zarafa", which means "smart". The second - literally means "leopard camel."
Where dwells
A large number of archaeological finds suggest that giraffe-like mammals lived in the Nile Delta, but were all exterminated during the existence of Ancient Egypt.
To date, the habitat of these graceful animals is exclusively the African continent. At the same time, giraffes are found in almost all its parts. The family itself is divided into 9 subspecies. Each of them lives in a certain part of Africa and differs from the others in color. This division is due to the fact that the animals from the moment of their distribution throughout the mainland adapted to the environment, the landscape and paint conditions prevailing in it. So, for example, the Angolan species of giraffes has a pale coat color, which is similar in color to the desert sand.
Giraffe lifestyle
These mammals prefer to live in small groups. Moreover, the number of groups can vary from 4 to 30 individuals. In them, animals are not very attached to each other. It is enough for them to realize that relatives are grazing nearby, often they do not even contact each other. This is due to the fact that animals are huge and they do not have many enemies. Therefore, to unite in large herds and closely interact is not necessary.
Observations of zoologists have revealed an interesting fact. Very often, giraffe groups come together with herds of other animals, for example, antelopes. This is done in order to facilitate the protection of young animals from lions. Predators do not attack adults - their calves become their victims. Giraffes follow with herds of antelopes until they find a suitable pasture. When a place is chosen, they leave the herd. There are no leaders in giraffe groups, but older animals enjoy great authority.
Nutrition of the highest animal, what is it?
The tallest animal prefers to eat leaves, flowers and all kinds of fruits, which are found in abundance in Africa. In addition, in the savannah, where the soil is saturated with minerals, they often use the soil for food. Giraffes are ruminants and have a four-chambered stomach. The chewing process helps them a lot while traveling. Thanks to him, they increase the time between meals. Long necks allow them to extract foliage and fruits from the very tops of trees.
The main enemies of the giraffe
The most dangerous for these animals are predators of the cat family. Often a giraffe becomes a victim of lions and leopards. In addition, attacks of smaller predators, such as hyenas, have been repeatedly noted. It is noteworthy that most often the victims are young giraffes, which are not large enough to protect themselves. Adults are able to fend for themselves. A powerful blow to the muscular legs with massive hooves can cause fatal injuries to the lion. In addition, the danger lies in wait for giraffes at watering places, as formidable predators - crocodiles - live in the reservoirs of Africa.