External features of giraffe

In the wild it is difficult to decide with certainty which giraffe calf belongs to which mother and impossible to determine the calf’s father. It is only in zoos that an offspring’s parents are known so that problems of heredity can be studied. Giraffe make a particularly interesting field of study in that individual variations […]

Social organization andbehavioral patterns of the captive giraffe at the Bronx Zoo

The social organization of giraffe has only recently been discovered to have a multi-level structure, and the scientific community lacks the proper understanding of how problems facing giraffe, both in the wild and in captivity, will affect this social organization. In an effort to develop understanding regarding both social and behavioral patterns of captive giraffe, […]

Simultaneous multiple‐calf allonursing by a wild Masai giraffe

Allonursing is when mothers nurse young that are not their own. It is rarely seen in wild giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). Pratt and Anderson (1979) reported that of 860 observations of nursing attempts, 37 were by an unrelated calf, and just one succeeded in sustained nursing. Saito and Idani (2018) documented only five of 76 allonursing […]

Structure of herd in giraffe: Developmental changes of social relationship in calves

In the present study, I aim to clarify social structure and differences of social interaction among different aged giraffe’s (Giraffa Camelopardelis) in Katavi National Park, Tanzania. I recorded giraffe’s sex, herd size and individual identify by pattern of marking on their necks. I estimated age on the basis of body size. The study about social […]

Higher maternal care and tolerance in more experienced giraffe mothers

Maternal investment and maternal care provided by mammalian females can change during their ontogeny. Differences may be related to the age and/or experience (parity) of the female. Several hypotheses have been postulated to explain changes in the rate of maternal care of females during their lifetime. The residual reproductive value hypothesis supposes a higher rate […]

Seeing spots: quantifying mother-offspring similarity and assessing fitness consequences of coat pattern traits in a wild population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Polymorphic phenotypes of mammalian coat coloration have been important to the study of genetics and evolution, but less is known about the inheritance and fitness consequences of individual variation in complex coat pattern traits such as spots and stripes. Giraffe coat markings are highly complex and variable and it has been hypothesized that variation in […]