Giraffa camelopardalis, Giraffe

myminifactory

The giraffe, a towering terrestrial giant, is found predominantly in the semi-arid savannahs and open woodlands of Africa south of the Sahara. Historically, their range extended into northern Africa (Dagg, 1971). The distinctive elongated neck of the giraffe is not formed by adding vertebrae but rather by lengthening the typical seven vertebrae found in mammals, although research suggests one additional vertebra may be present in the giraffe's neck (Solounias, 1999). Their long legs and neck, combined with their prehensile lips and elongated tongue, enable giraffes to feed on tall acacia and mimosa trees (Nowak, 1999). The giraffe family is classified as Giraffidae, which also includes the okapi. A unique characteristic of the giraffid skull is that its horns develop differently from those found in other groups. The bony horn forms separately from the skull before fusing together later in development. Fossil records reveal that giraffids have existed since the early Miocene era in Africa, and they were also present in Europe and Asia from the middle Miocene to the Pleistocene (Nowak, 1999:1084-1089).