From Lamarck to the present day, including Darwin's theories, the evolution of the giraffe's neck has been at the center of all investigations. Why an animal with such an exaggeratedly large neck? What is your function?
Not only this characteristic defines giraffes, they are one of the largest animals currently living on Earth and one of the heaviest. In this article on our site we will talk about giraffes, how long is their neck,how much does a giraffe weigh and other curiosities that you may be interested in discovering.
The spinal column in mammals
The backbone is the hallmark that defines a large group of animals, the vertebrates. Each species has a unique backbone, designed for the specific needs of that group of animals.
Normally, the vertebral column extends from the base of the skull to the pelvic girdle and sometimes continues to form the tail. It is made up of bone tissue, structured in discs or vertebrae that overlap each other. The number of vertebrae and their shape varies according to the species to which it corresponds.
Generally, in a vertebral column there are five groups of vertebrae:
- Cervical: correspond to the vertebrae located in the neck. The first of all, the one that joins the skull, is called "atlas" and the second, "axis".
- Thoracic: go from the base of the neck to the end of the thorax, where there are no more ribs.
- Lumbar: These are the vertebrae of the lower back.
- Sacral: Vertebrae found in the hip.
- Coccygeal: final vertebrae of vertebrate animals with tails.
Giraffe physical characteristics
The giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, is a ungulate belonging to the order Artiodactyla, because it has two toes on each hoof. It shares certain characteristics with deer and cattle, for example, its stomach has four chambers, it is a ruminant animal, and it has no incisors or canines on its upper jaw. They also have characteristics that distinguish them from these animals: their horns are covered with fur and their lower canines have two lobes.
They are animals very large and heavy. They can reach almost 6 meters in height and an adult giraffe can reach a ton and a half.
Although we always think of the long neck of the giraffe, the truth is that it is also the animal with the longest legs The bones of the fingers and feet are very long. The ulna and radius in the front legs or the tibia and fibula in the hind legs are usually fused and long as well. But the bones that are really elongated in this species are the bones that correspond to the feet and hands, that is, the tarsus, metatarsus, carpus and metacarpals. Giraffes, like other ungulates, walk on tiptoe
How many vertebrae does a giraffe's neck have?
Giraffes' necks are stretched out, as are their legs. They do not have an inordinate number of vertebrae, what happens is that these vertebrae are excessively elongated.
Like all mammals except the sloth and the manatee, giraffes have seven neck vertebrae or cervical vertebrae. A vertebra of an adult male giraffe can measure up to 30 centimeters in length, so its neck, in total, can reach 2 meters
The sixth vertebra of the neck of the ungulates has a different shape than the rest, but in the giraffe it is very similar to the third, fourth and fifth. The last cervical vertebra, the seventh, also resembles the rest, while in other ungulates, this last vertebra has become the first thoracic vertebra, that is, it has a pair of ribs.
What is the giraffe's neck for?
Since Lamarck and his theory on the evolution of species, prior to Darwin's theory, the usefulness of the giraffe's neck has been widely discussed.
Early studies suggest that the length of their neck was used to reach the highest branches of the acacias, the tree on which they feed giraffes, so individuals with longer necks had more food available to them. This theory was later discarded.
What observation has taught us about these animals is that giraffes use their necks to defend themselves against other animals. They also use it during courtship, when male giraffes fight each other by hitting their necks and horns.
