Precision, accuracy, and costs of survey methods for giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis
Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are megafaunal browsers and keystone species in African savanna ecosystems. Range-wide population declines are suspected, but robust data are lacking. Tanzania holds the largest population of giraffe of any range state, and aerial surveys constitute most of Tanzania’s giraffe population monitoring data, but their accuracy has not yet been assessed. An IUCN […]
Energy and Fibre Intake in a Group of Captive Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) Offered Increasing Amounts of Browse
We investigated the effect of diet on intake of energy and fibre in a group of three captive adult giraffe by weighing offered diet items and leftovers for 7 days after an adaptation period of 7 days. Digestion coefficients were calculated using, as internal marker, the acid detergent lignin content of a faecal sample pooled […]
The scent of the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) emits a scent that can be detected by humans over considerable distances. Dichloromethane extracts of hair samples from adult male and female reticulated giraffes (G. c. reticulata) were analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Two highly odoriferous compounds, indole and 3-methylindole, identified in these extracts appear to be primarily responsible for the […]