A comparative perspective on the evolution of mammalian reactions to dead conspecifics
In a variety of mammalian species, mothers and others care for and/or carry deceased newborns, and sometimes other conspecifics. The rationale for such behavior remains elusive. Based upon field observations of olive baboon (Papio anubis), African elephant (Loxodonta africana), and Thornicroft’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) responses to recently dead conspecifics, combined with reports in the literature, […]
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, […]
Relationships between male giraffes’ colour, age and sociability
In species in which males signal competitive ability through secondary sexual traits, males with different levels of trait expression may adopt different reproductive tactics to maximize their reproductive success. In fission-fusion social systems, the most dominant males often roam widely in search of females in oestrus, and thus exhibit different patterns of sociability from subordinate […]
Stress and social behaviors of maternally deprived captive giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)
Maternal deprivation can cause long-term behavioral changes in captive mammals. Studies regarding captive ungulates have also indicated behavioral shifts in the presence of the animal keeping staff; however, little is known about these effects in captive giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). To examine this, we observed a population of reticulated giraffes composed of maternally raised and maternally […]
Group sizes of giraffes in Kenya: the influence of habitat, predation and the age and sex of individuals
Giraffe group sizes appear to vary in response to localized ecological and environmental factors, but there has been little investigation of how social factors or predation risk affect group size in giraffes. We studied two adjacent, enclosed populations of Rothschild’s giraffes in Kenya, and used 591 records of groups to determine the relative influence of […]
A study on the social organisation of the Southern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa)
In this study, I have investigated the social structure of a population of the Southern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) residing in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa. To do so, association data was collected using photo-identification to recognise individual giraffes. Within the study period between October 27th 2012 and January 25th 2013, 257 groups of giraffes […]
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 […]
The first description of dominance hierarchy in captive giraffe: Not loose and egalitarian, but clear and linear
Wild giraffes live in extensive groups in the fission fusion system, maintaining long social distances and loose social bonds. Within these groups, resources are widely distributed, agonistic encounters are scarce and the dominance hierarchy was reported in males only, while never deeply analysed. In captivity, the possibility to maintain inter-individual distances is limited and part […]
Social attachment in giraffe: Response to social separation
Attachment relationships between animals are often studied by separating a pair of individuals and recording their subsequent behavior. Studies of non-human primates have shown that separation results in changes that are indicative of both psychological and physiological stress. Similar results have been found in several non-primate species with differing social structures. This study examined the […]
"All About Giraffes"
The information I presented highlighted the work of Giraffe Conservation Foundation in the field, especially focusing on the Niger giraffe project…as well as a range of current ex situ initiatives designed to provide a better understanding of giraffe biology. To try and cover all bases I attempt to ‘marry together’ the work being done in […]