Where do the giraffes live? What is the habitat of giraffes and how do they adapt to it?

First, find out where the giraffes live. This is important, since we all understand that the structure of the body depends on the conditions in which it was formed. Scientists have found out that giraffes appeared in the world more than twenty five million years ago. Their remains are found almost throughout the territory of Eurasia and Africa. But living giraffes in nature can not be seen anywhere, where they grazed at the dawn of history.

Area of distribution

Now giraffes live in Africa. Populations in its eastern part are more numerous. In the south-western regions, the animal is mostly destroyed, although a few groups are still found in the steppes. Total hunting, which was subjected to giraffes, led to the fact that they can be seen where they had not grazed before. Thus, some sources claim that they can be found west of Lake Tanganyika. This is not quite the usual place for them. In addition, giraffes travel to Chad, Sudan or Zambia. In other territories they can not be met. Thus, it turns out that under natural conditions giraffes live only in Africa.

Giraffe habitat

There are several subspecies of this animal. The division is related to where the giraffes live. So, the forest animal is very different from the steppe one. And those who grazed in the mountains, in their own way, adapted to the terrain. The fact is that the structure of the body of this miracle of nature allows him to get food from a great height. Some individuals can be up to six meters tall. Since the animal eats only fresh shoots and leaves, it is exactly where there is such vegetation that it lives. The giraffe grabs a part of the plant with tongue and nips off. This organ is highly developed and comparable in functionality to the elephant's trunk. Studying where the giraffes live, scientists were surprised to find that they do not shy away from the steppe area.

Features of the structure

Their neck is known to be long. Judging by its appearance, it could be assumed that its structure differs from other mammals. Only this is not so. A giraffe has seven vertebrae, like everyone else. Therefore, it seems impossible to eat these animals grass, growing under the hooves. However, at a time when there is no fresh seedling left on the trees, the giraffe in the savanna is very comfortable with fresh herbs. To drink or collect food from the ground, animals have a difficult time. They bend the front legs and practically fit on the ground. So you can pinch the grass and drink water.

Do these animals often drink

Do you study where giraffes live? It is quite natural to ask about the necessity of moisture for the proper implementation of all processes in their organisms. It is clear that in Africa most regions are characterized by exceptional aridity. Giraffes are fine there themselves. Most of the needs in water they satisfy at the expense of the moisture that is in the food (up to 74%). Therefore, they are often found in arid terrain. Animals can well do without watering up to several days. They roam the area in small groups (five to six individuals each) in search of pastures. I must say that giraffes are not at all helpless, as one might think.

The sensory organs in times of danger

Giraffes have very good eyesight, and the neck helps to increase the view of the territory. An animal is noticed by a hunter at a distance of at least two kilometers. If danger approaches, the animals gather in a large herd. Males, whose weight is significant, use their hoofs well to drive away predators. From their impact, even a lion can remain not only without dinner, but without life.

More giraffes have a keen ear. If some sound seems dangerous, they can take flight. With seeming awkwardness, animals can develop a good speed. They run in large jumps (up to five meters). It is interesting that the lower animals (zebra, okapi) adapted to use long-necks as guards. Due to the growth, the danger is seen faster than all giraffes. Where this animal lives, there protection against predators is ensured. If there is a "toothy death" next to each other, then all run away together.

How to get used to the heat?

All animals in Africa in one way or another adapt to life at high temperatures. Giraffes have their own traditions in this respect. They graze at dawn and early in the morning. When the heat begins, rest in the shade, chewing on the chewing gum. Skin light sand color allows you not to overheat under the influence of sunlight. Animals do not suffer from heat. In addition, they are considered very hardy. Hunters of the nineteenth century believed (justifiably) that with prolonged pursuit, the horse first becomes tired. And giraffes continue their graceful race. By the way, all of their movements look like in slow motion. All body parts of the giraffe are long. He carefully coordinates their movements. Therefore, the step is obtained by some cosmic: long and multidimensional. When you run, the giraffe helps yourself with the movement of the neck.

How giraffes sleep

It would seem that an animal with long legs and the same neck is not so easy to adjust to rest. But this is not so. At night giraffes fit on the belly. They limb their limbs, they try to hold their heads high. But during sleep the neck can bend, then the back of the head rests on the back of the animal. Often giraffes jump to their feet to check the "safety level". This is completely justified, since predators hunt at night. Often the victims become babies. The older generation protects them in the first year of life. It is interesting that giraffes can gather young animals from different families into groups, forming a kind of nursery. So it's easier to look after them.

Can I live in captivity?

The first giraffes appeared in Europe more than three hundred years ago. But they could not exist for a long time in captivity. They had a problem with the bones, called "giraffe's disease." Most likely, animals need constant movement. In his absence, the bone system suffers. When people learned to properly take care of these amazing animals, they were given the opportunity to study the peculiarities of their reproduction. So, it turned out that the fetus develops in forty-three days. The most amazing were the birth. The young, appearing on light, falls almost from two-meter height. At the same time its mass can reach sixty kilograms. From such extreme the kid does not suffer. Approximately half an hour later he gets up. Then he comes to his mother to eat milk. There is an adult feed he can already in three weeks.