Giraffes and Okapis
A giant among animals:
The first giraffes to reach the zoos of Europe and North America caused quite a stir. This is hardly surprising as there is no other animal quite like the giraffe.
To begin with, a giraffe is nearly 6m tall, three times the height of a tall man. It has long legs and, more remarkable still, a long tapering neck. Set on top of the neck is a small head with several short horns. Some giraffes have only two horns, others have three or five.
Although a giraffe has such a long neck it cannot reach down to drink without straddling its front legs wide apart and bending its knees to reach the water. But the long neck comes in useful for reaching up to pluck leaves from tall trees that other animals cannot reach. The giraffe plucks the leaves by wrapping its long tongue around them to pull them into its mouth.
The great height of a giraffe also has another use. It is like a watchtower from which the animal can, using its large eyes, see its enemies from a long way away.
Although it looks clumsy a giraffe is very graceful when running. It does not move its legs as most other four-legged animals do. Instead it moves the legs on one side together, then the legs on the other side. This makes it sway as it runs, but it can move fast across the plains of southern Africa where it lives.
The giraffe’s long legs end in large cloven hoofs. A kick from a giraffe will kill a lion.
The body of a giraffe is covered with chestnut or dark brown blotches separated by paler, buff lines. These break up the outline of its body. So, when the animal is standing among tall trees it is very hard to see.
Not only do giraffes have long necks, they have the biggest voicebox of any animal. Yet, until about 60 years ago, everyone thought they had no voice. Since then, several people have heard young giraffes calling to their mothers and occasionally an adult giraffe has been heard to use its voice. It is a mystery why they use their voices so rarely.
It’s long been assumed that unlike other animals, giraffes are largely silent beasts. They don’t oink, moo or roar. But new research suggests perhaps giraffes do have a distinct sound: They hum.
The humming was 92Hz in frequency
Source
A smaller relative:
In the rain forests of West Africa lives the giraffe’s smaller cousin, the OKAPI. Its coat is a rich plummy purple with white bands on its legs. In the gloom of the dense forests the okapi is very hard to find. As a result, it was not discovered by white men until 1900, although the African hunters knew where to find it.
Okapis live solitary lives, which makes them even harder to find. This is unlike giraffes that live in groups of six or more and can be seen from afar, if they are not standing among tall trees.
This species is less attacked by predators than other herbivores.