How social relationships of female giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) change after calving
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) social structure is described as a fission–fusion society (Bercovitch & Berry, 2009; Shorrocks & Croft, 2009), wherein mother–daughter pairs and specific adult female dyads form strong, continuous social relationships (Bercovitch & Berry, 2013; Carter et al., 2013). Bercovitch & Berry (2013) found that in addition to related individuals, peers are more likely to establish herds than nonpeers. These nonkin relationships may be formed at an early stage through shared membership in a creche (Carter et al., 2013).