Comparisons of Schansitherium tafeli with Samotherium boissieri (Giraffidae, Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of Gansu Province, China
We are describing and figuring for the first time skulls of Schansitherium tafeli, which are abundant in the Gansu area of China from the Late Miocene. They were animals about the size of Samotherium with shorter necks that had two pairs of ossicones that merge at the base, which is unlike Samotherium. The anterior ossicones […]
Giraffe Social Behaviour
Many features recommend the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) for behavioural study: it is big, abundant, conspicuous, active by day, reasonably trusting of people, deliberate, and the best self-marked animal in existence. Surprisingly, its social behaviour has been largely neglected. We studied giraffe exclusively for the following periods: February–March, 1975 and January–December, 1977 in the Serengeti National […]
"Necking" behaviour in the giraffe
Previous references to “necking” behaviour, and the main features of the study area are briefly outlined. “Necking” behaviour in giraffe takes place only in all male herds. When the animals are in a head to head posture the intensity is either high or low, but when animals take up a head to tail posture the […]
Winning by a neck – Sexual selection in the evolution of giraffe
A classic example of extreme morphological adaptation to the environment is the neck of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), a trait that most biologists since Darwin have attributed to competition with other mammalian browsers. However, in searching for present-day evidence for the maintenance of the long neck, we find that during the dry season (when feeding […]
The effect of translocation on the Rothschild’s giraffes
In July 1977, twenty one Rothschild’s giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi LYDEKKER) were trans-located by the Kenya Game Department from Lewa Downs Farm, Soy to Nakuru National Park. The objective of the translocation was to accord the giraffes and opportunity to establish themselves in a protected environment. The research described in this thesis was carried out […]
Horns and other bony structures of the skull of the giraffe, and their functional significance
The gross morphology of the giraffe skull and its superficial anatomy is described. The parietal, median, occipital, orbital, azygous horns and other exostoses are described. The giraffe’s peculiar mode of intra-specific fighting is explained and the features of the giraffe’s skull are related to this. It is concluded that the skull of the male giraffe […]