Have you ever wondered if giraffes are related to camels? If so, this article will explain how. Not only are giraffes related to camels, but they have horns on the top of their heads, are able to swim, and have prehensile feet. Also, giraffes have two lungs and can pump 16 gallons of water per minute!
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giraffes have two horns on top of their head
Most giraffes have two ossicones (horns) on the top of their head. These are made of cartilage and are not attached to the skull. This allows them to grow very long and flexible when the giraffe is young. These horns are used for protection, but some believe that they are just decorative. In any case, they are very useful in special situations.
Unlike most animals, giraffes’ horns are made from ossified cartilage. The horns grow on both sexes and are relatively small in size. The size of giraffe horns varies between males and females. Males may have one or both horns. Babies do not have horns on their heads.
They have prehensile feet
The name giraffe comes from the fact that these animals have long necks, similar to those of camels and oxen. Giraffes stand upright in all directions while moving, and rarely sit. They spend 450 days gestating, and after bending their hind legs, they drop their baby at a height of two meters. After the fall, the 100kg baby is unharmed and stands at 1.6 meters high, tall enough to reach its mother’s teats.
The long tongue of a giraffe allows it to easily grip plants and browse for leaves. The tongue’s dark color protects it from sunburn and is helpful for grabbing leaves. Giraffes’ forelegs are longer than their hind legs, and they have seven vertebrae in their necks. The tongue of a giraffe is surrounded by a thick, sticky saliva.
They can swim
The tall, bulky legs of giraffes make them unsuitable for swimming. Because they are rarely seen near water sources, they hydrate themselves through diet, not water. Many animals, including camels, are related to camels because they are related to camels, because swimming is an important survival skill. Some animals have the ability to swim naturally, while others must learn this skill from an early age.
They do not sit down, preferring to do everything while standing. A giraffe’s gestation lasts about 450 days and the female delivers a baby of 100 kilograms by bending its hind legs. The baby is delivered unharmed after the mother bends her legs and snaps the umbilical cord. Once born, the baby is 1.6m high and stands tall enough to reach its mother’s milk teats.
They can pump 16 gallons a minute
While humans are able to reach blood pressure of 140 mmHg, giraffes can’t. Their two-foot-long heart has a blood pressure regulating system and pump around 16 gallons per minute. The heart of a giraffe is incredibly complex, and contains several unique adaptations. One of those adaptations is the giraffe’s heart, which can weigh up to 25 pounds and is several inches thick. This incredible organ is capable of pumping blood from the heart to various parts of the body, including the brain.
The heart of a giraffe weighs 26 pounds (12 kilograms). Though relatively small in comparison to the rest of its body, it is incredibly strong. The thick, muscular wall of a giraffe’s heart makes it beat faster and harder, generating twice the pressure of a human heart. The heart is also much larger than a human’s, which helps it pump 16 gallons of blood per minute.
They can compete with other males
Like humans, giraffes have a desire for female companionship, and their strong necks provide them with an effective way to assert their dominance. In order to win the attention of females, male giraffes compete for mating rights, establishing dominance by necking one another. Occasionally, rivals exchange blows with their heads, using their short horns as a weapon.
Compared to other herbivores, giraffes consume less food per day because their leaves are more densely packed with nutrients. Their digestive system is designed to process food instead of swallowing it whole. In addition to chewing and swallowing, giraffes pass their partially digested cud up their necks to resume chewing. Because their teeth have flat grooves, they can easily reach leaves and branches of plants.