How does giraffe protect itself

Conversely, when the giraffe raises its head, causing a negative effect on the pressure, this sponge engorged with blood immediately infuses the brain until the heart pushes blood to the head.

This particular evolutionary development leads a special mechanism to compensate for the substantial effects of hydrostatic pressure. The arteries of the neck are supported by ringed muscles that push blood to the brain. The valves in the jugular vein fight gravity by preventing the rapid descent of blood into the brain when the head is lowered, and they direct flow towards the heart. In the wild, giraffes almost never lie down because of vulnerability to predators.

They usually sleep standing, sometimes sitting. When giraffes sleep, they curl their necks and sleep for about five minutes at a time, sleeping no more than 30 minutes a day. They are brilliant animals. They are known to be very good at adapting to their environment.

When drinking water, giraffes have learned to gulp in order to avoid predators while in a vulnerable position. When it comes to sleeping, being able to move in a matter of seconds in the body of a kg animal is not easy.

They have adapted to be able to survive on 30 minutes or less of sleep a day. Zoo interns have shared that giraffes can recognise their given names. They are also very intelligent when it comes to food. The giraffes at the zoo were fed at 11 every day. A giraffe can send blood through these smaller blood vessels into the middle of each patch to release heat from the body.

Giraffes use very little communication that can be heard by humans. Mothers will occasionally whistle to warn or call their young but most communication is done infrasonically, with moans and grunts far too low for humans to hear.

Giraffes also communicate through different positioning of their eyes and will use prolonged stares to warn other members of the herd to danger. We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. To use this website you must accept the terms of our Privacy Policy. I accept. Species we protect. Giraffe are fascinating animals. Don't believe us? Because its legs are so long a walking they move both right legs forward and then both the left legs. When they gallop, this changes, and they simultaneously swing the hind legs ahead of and outside the front legs.

Something you will probably notice when in the bush is that the build of this animal makes it difficult for it to groom itself. When you see them scratching against trees it is because they are trying to rid itself of these parasites. Notice in the giraffes fighting below how the one animal lands a thundering blow on the body of the opponent with its head. The neck is so long that the swing looks slower than it is and the blows less hard but the sounds of their impacts can be heard from meters away.

They cannot jump and swing at the same time so the two opponents give the impression that they are taking turns to give and receive blows. Something interesting information about their vulnerability to predators relates to their feeding habits. An interesting giraffe fact shows that in the Kruger National Park lions kill 1,8 times as many bulls as cows. Like all wild animals, they cab be unpredictable. If they feel nervous, and they're known to be easily startled. The animal's elevated vantage point allows them to notice humans approaching from a distance.

It is therefore unlikely that they can be surprised by an approaching person. To reach water, it has to splay its front legs and bend its knees before bending its neck to get its head down to ground level. When they raise and lower their heads its brain is protected by a special system of elastic blood vessels in the neck. Giraffes protect themselves from intruders with their legs. These are their primary and most powerful weapons that save them from death.

The impact of a single kick in the head or a sensitive part of a predator is enough to kill it, but the experienced predators are extremely cautious, and therefore know the exact moment to attack.

Because of this, giraffes are not the first choice of African carnivores when they are looking for food. They are a target only when another less dangerous prey is not available. It is not easy catching an adult giraffe, so it is more common that wounded or offspring become the center of attention as long as the mother is distracted. Giraffes may look peaceful, but they are not an easy prey. Besides they also have an excellent sight so they can be long gone before a predator can get too close to them.

The only significant predators of giraffes are lions, and they will look for the young and the weak giraffes first. When the predators a herd of lions, there is not much probability that one will come out alive no matter how big it may be. These big cats attack from behind, riding on the back of the giraffe and causing wounds with their fangs and claws to weaken them, while others try to bite the legs to knock them down and reach their neck, the key area to kill them.

An ideal time for predators who want to catch a giraffe is when they drink water from rivers and streams. During this activity, the neck is near the ground so cats can attack them there. On the aquatic side, crocodiles try to catch them in that situation, since with a single bite they unbalance them forward to fall into the water.