Body surface area and thermoregulation in giraffes
One of several hypotheses for the evolution of the shape of giraffes is that it evolved to maximize heat loss via a high surface area to mass ratio. We calculated the surface area (SA) of the head, neck, trunk and upper legs, and the lower legs in 60 giraffes of both sexes and a body […]
Enclosure size in captive wild mammals: A comparison between UK zoological collections and the wild
A comparison was made between the average enclosure size of a random sample of mammals lept during the years 2000-2001in a random sample of UK zoological collections and the minimum home range of these taxa in the wild. Allometric laws were used to estimate the home range area, while direct observation from videotaped visits to […]
From Fetus to Adult—An Allometric Analysis of the Giraffe Vertebral Column
As mammalian cervical vertebral count is almost always limited to seven, the vertebral column of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) provides an interesting study on scaling and adaptation to shape in light of these constraints. We have defined and described the growth rates of the lengths, widths, and heights of the vertebrae from fetal through neonatal […]