Such an amazing animal as a giraffe amazes adults with its extraordinary proportions and attracts the attention of children. It is to the cages with these mammals that visitors to zoos rush, and interesting facts from their lives never cease to amaze.
Unique representative of the fauna
The name of the animal "giraffe" in translation from the Arabic language means "smart".
What makes this beautiful animal unlike anyone else is, of course, the neck. Interestingly, despite its length, it only has seven vertebrae. Thanks to its long neck, the giraffe can easily find leaves for food on the uppermost branches of trees. It is the satisfaction of hunger that the animal is busy all day. During the day, the giraffe takes from 16 to 20 hours to consume food. During this time, he manages to eat up to thirty kilograms of food. It should be noted that an animal can go without water much longer than a camel.
Despite its ostentatious slowness and even clumsiness, the giraffe is able to move at a speed of more than 55 kilometers per hour. At full speed, the animal can compete with a racehorse. Not a problem for long-necked and jumping. He is able to take a barrier almost 2 meters high.
It's time for the side
At first glance, the giraffe appears to be a very bulky animal. Therefore, many fauna lovers are interested in how he fits into a night's sleep. And it turns out he does it quite easily and simply. The main thing is to lay comfortably the most prominent part of your body - your neck. The seemingly unbending long neck actually flexes well. Scientists and curious researchers have managed to witness how a giraffe puts its head back on its croup or rests its muzzle on the ground. The entire laying process takes only 15-20 seconds, which allows the giraffe to claim recognition of its gracefulness.
First, the animal descends on the chest, then on the stomach, after which it rests its head on the lower part of the hind limb. But the poor animal has to go through the procedure several times a night. Sleep stubbornly does not come to the long-necked beast, and he stubbornly alternates periods of rest and wakefulness. The total duration of the deep sleep phase at night is a maximum of 20 minutes. The giraffe wakes up on average 8 times per night.
Of course, a quarter of an hour is not enough for such a giant, so the giraffe gets enough sleep during the day. He prefers to doze in the daytime in an upright position. To do this, he fixes his head between the branches in order to maintain balance and not fall. Well-developed neck muscles help you stay in this position without being overly stressed.
