UIUC Ansc 499- Giraffe
In the temporary associations, the local hierarchy develops according to ____ and ____
age, size
The unique patches that wallpaper a giraffes body break up the outline and thereby provide _________ to the animal that only has to stand still to disappear into its surroundings despite its size.
camouflage
Ossicones are formed from ossified ________ and are covered in ______
cartilage, skin
Duels between males are not violent unless two equally matched bulls are...
contending for the same estrous cow
Later on young giraffe group together to form _______ for protection in numbers and to relieve the __________ of individual parents to be on guard duty.
creches, pressure
The giraffe is the only ruminant of which the ________ period lasts longer than a ____
gestation, year
Giraffe have ______ eye sight and probably has color vision
good
Its sense of _______ and ____ are very well developed
hearing, smell
A giraffe's _____ has special adaptations to enable it to _____ ____ up the animal's long neck to its head
heart, pump blood
The narrow muzzle with its lithe upper lip enables giraffe to pick ____________ leaves from between thorns
individual
List the Natural enemies of calves:
lions, hyenas, leopards, wild dogs, and crocodiles
The nucha ligament functions like a _________ ______ ____ counter weighing the head and the neck, keeping them upright
massive rubber band
The vertebrae over the shoulders have vertical extensions supporting a large ligament which is called the "____ ligament"
nucha
Giraffe 'horns' are not actually called horns but '__________' and both female and male giraffe have them
ossicones
Function of long eye lashes:
protect its eyes when feeding in thorny trees
Although births do occur throughout the year, there is an increase in mating during the _____ _______
rainy season
Function of rete mirabelle
restricts the amount of blood that rushes towards the brain when the giraffe lowers its head
giraffes have a pressure‐regulating system known as the:
rete Mirabelle
These boney growths seem to possibly be a form of __________ ________________ as its more visible in males due to them using their heads more often to defended themselves, this calcification adds weight to the skull.
sexual dimorphism
The skulls of giraffes vary in ____ and _______
size, thickness
The nucha ligament runs from the back of the _____ to the base of the ____
skull, tail
She gives birth ________ __ , but bends her hind legs slightly to reduce the drop
standing up
The cow defends her offspring by __________ over it and __________ out
standing, kicking
What prevents the papillae from being pricked by thorns?
sticky mucous membrane
Sometimes the entire upper part of the skull is covered in these __________ ________ so that the entire shape of the skull changes shape
superficial growth
Births are sometimes ______________ as a safety measure against predation
synchronized
Giraffes have very loose social structures called
temporary associations
Male ossicones are described to:
thick, bald, and heavy
Females ossicones are described to be:
thin and tufted
This hide is _______ to each giraffe - no two hides are the same
unique
A cow ___________ when approached by a mature bull so that he can test the urine by ___________ it and applying ___________
urinates, smelling, flehmen
The vantage point created by the giraffes height allows separate individuals to maintain ______ contact
visual
The skin behind the ears is ______ and is used as a _________ __ sign.
white, follow me
Giraffe have a modified joint at the base of their skull that allows them to A. Turn their head 360 degrees B. Turn their head 180 degrees C. Allows them to tilt their heads vertically D. Allows them to tilt their heads horizontally
C
_________ ______ already start during adolescence when bulls start sparing against each other, and carries on into maturity.
Dominance displays
True or False: During the courtship process the couple does not smell and lick each other
False
True or False: Giraffe are water dependent
False
True or False: Giraffes avoid open areas and veld with thorn trees.
False
True or False: Only males have a main pair of ossicones
False
True or False: a giraffes lungs can hold 20 lts of air
False (55)
True or False: Fatal combat between giraffes has never been recorded
False (rare but does occur)
______ _______ protect both the lips and the tongue from the pricks of thorns.
Horny papillae
Natural enemies of adult giraffes
Mostly lions
Common Diseases in Giraffes:
Papillomavirus, Virtiligo, Leucism
What is the function of the patches on the giraffe skin?
The patches are believed to scatter heat falling on the giraffes skin
True or False: A giraffes tongue is 18 inches long and can extend a great deal beyond the mouth
True
True or False: Albinism also occurs in giraffe, but isn't very common
True
True or False: Dominant bulls can be recognized by his proud bearing
True
True or False: Giraffe are gregarious and still prefer to be around members of their own kind even though the make up of a group fluctuates.
True
True or False: Giraffes are the worlds largest ruminant
True
True or False: Giraffes can close and open its nostrils at will.
True
True or False: Giraffes chew on bones for calcium
True
True or False: Humans and giraffes have the same number of bones in their necks.
True
True or False: If she is in estrous, he remains with her and chases away other bulls
True
True or False: Male Giraffes (Bulls) roam widely, monitoring herds for female giraffes (Cows) in estrous.
True
True or False: The forelegs are longer than the hind legs
True
True or False: The giraffe is the worlds tallest land mammal
True
True or False: The neck of a giraffe weighs approximately 270kgs
True
True or False: Young cows usually remain permanently in the area where they had been born.
True
True or False: Giraffe are born with their ossicones
True (however, they lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth)
Bulls only get the opportunity to mate with females when they are _____ old.
8 yrs