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The giraffe's head and neck are held up by large muscles and a nuchal ligament, which are anchored by long thoracic vertebrae spines, giving them a hump. [17] [63] [36] Adult male reticulated giraffe feeding high on an acacia, in Kenya. The giraffe's neck vertebrae have ball and socket joints.
The giraffe's neck is elongated by heterochrony, extension of the time for the embryonic development of these bones. [ 4 ] By convention, the cervical vertebrae are numbered, with the first one (C1) closest to the skull and higher numbered vertebrae (C2–C7) proceeding away from the skull and down the spine.
Known as “necking” the giraffes use their long and powerful necks to attack, delivering hard blows with each hit. ... Unlike humans, giraffe cervical vertebrae are attached to each other with ...
Giraffes are instantly recognisable for their long necks. The giant and colossal squids have the largest recorded eyes of any living animal, with a maximum diameter of at least 27 cm (11 in). [6] Only the extinct ichthyosaurs are known to have had larger eyes. [6] The giraffe has the longest neck of any land mammal. [7]
A Penn State researcher has been trying to get to the bottom of the age-old question of why giraffes have long necks. Focus on research: Female giraffes drove the evolution of long necks, new ...
The long neck is a distinguishing feature of the giraffe. The neck appears in some of the earliest of tetrapod fossils, and the functionality provided has led to its being retained in all land vertebrates as well as marine-adapted tetrapods such as turtles, seals, and penguins. [16]
The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae. The okapi stands about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall at the shoulder and has a typical body length around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). Its weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg (440 to 770 lb). It has a long neck, and large, flexible ears.
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