The Reticulated Giraffe is a subspecies of giraffe that
is native to the Horn of Africa. It belongs to the family Giraffidae and
shares a common ancestor with cervids (deer) and bovids (bison, sheep etc.). It
is one of the tallest animals on earth and is characterized its long neck,
short tufted mane, two/four skin covered horns on its head and large polygonal
brown coloured spots outlined by white lines (giraffe, 2008).
Photo of giraffes by
Brandt Luke Zorn. Horn of Africa by Skilla1st.
The Reticulated Giraffe lives in savannahs, woodlands,
rainforests, and seasonal flood plains where food is available. They live in
small groups and most of them are females with young. Male Reticulated Giraffes
travel alone and fight other males by butting each other with their long necks
and head. This fight usually ends with one male submitting and walking away. However,
in rare cases the fights can lead to serious injuries and death (Muneza et al.
2019). The giraffe’s height allows it to reach the top of acacias trees and
feed on the leaves using their 21-inch tongue. However, their height is also a
disadvantage as they have to spread their front legs and bend down to reach
water from rivers or lakes. This leads them to be vulnerable to predators such
as lions, or African wild dogs (2019, national geographic).
Giraffe with
tongue sticking out by Tanya Dewey and giraffe eating by Kay Holekamp.
This Giraffe species is under threat from habitat loss
and poaching. Giraffe’s have been hunted for their meat, hide and tails. Giraffe
tail’s have been used to make good luck bracelets, fly whisks and thread for
sewing. This had led to giraffe’s been hunted just for their tails alone. Loss of
habitat has resulted in a loss of the acacias trees and space which the
giraffes need to survive. Giraffes need large areas to travel and increasing
farmlands and urban housing has led to giraffes enter human areas.
Next time, we will be covering a species of elephant that
has come under threat from poaching.
References
https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/giraffe
retrieved 23/06/19
giraffe. (2008). In Philip's encyclopedia. [Online].
London: Philip's. Available from:
https://elibrary.jcu.edu.au/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/philipency/giraffe/0?institutionId=429
[Accessed 23 June 2019].
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/giraffe/
retrieved 23/06/19
Muneza, A., Doherty, J.B., Hussein Ali, A., Fennessy, J.,
Marais, A., O'Connor, D. & Wube, T. 2018. Giraffa camelopardalis ssp.
reticulata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T88420717A88420720.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T88420717A88420720.en. Downloaded
on 23 June 2019.
Picture references
