This is the fourth in an ongoing series of stories about the bush in Africa. All photos are taken by the author himself using a Canon 1000D, while travelling.
I always find it fascinating that our overseas visitors spend more time fussing over this long necked mammal, than the big cats. But then again, there are big cats in the rest of the world, as well as elephant. The Giraffe really is special, very much separate from any other, just like the kangaroo in Australia. It is the one animal that should have been in the so called big 5, but I suppose they are so common and us Africans are a little spoilt by our frequent sightings. They remain spectacular animals though.
The Giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial animal. You will find them throughout Africa, mainly in savannah and woodland areas. Eating leaves, fruits, and flowers from the top of the trees, they have the advantage of not having many competitors for the food given the height they can reach. What is sad is the way this animal’s habitat is being decreased and it is estimated that there are fewer than 100 000 in the wild in 2016. We are happy to have 20 odd on our farm.
An amazing fact about these wonderful animals is the way it circulatory system has adapted to deal with the long neck, and getting blood to its brain. It has a massive heart that can weigh up to 11 kilograms, and needs at least double the blood pressure to be able to maintain the flow to the brain. Their heart beat can be up to 150 beats per minute.
By using a clever valve system, that prevents excessive blood flow to the brain when the animal lowers its head and when it raises its head it then again forces blood to the brain.
Watching the way these animals sink to their knees to drink, one always worried a little that they will not get back up, and even when they run they look slow and clumsy, but they are surprisingly agile through trees, and also surprisingly fast.
In my mind, more than the lion or elephant, the giraffe epitomises the wonders that Africa holds. They are truly wondrous animals.
Other Articles in this series include
The African Bush – 4 July 2017
The African Bush 2 – 5 July 2017
The African Bush 3 – 19 July 2017