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Giraffe nursing behaviour reflects environmental conditions

Nursing behaviour is one component of mammalian life history strategy that demonstrates context-dependent flexibility within species. Wild giraffes live in groups and feed themselves over large area. In the zoo, giraffes are kept in enclosures with abundant food resources.We aimed to analyse whether the nursing behaviour of giraffes differs between the zoo and nature reserve and discuss which factor (food intake, presence of predators, population density) can explain the difference. We observed seven and four female–calf pairs in the Bandia

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Giraffes and the pollination ecology of knobthorns (Acacia nigrescens)

Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) consume large quantities of knobthorn (Acacia nigrescens) flowers every year, and may be acting as pollinators. Because knobthorns flower in the late dry season, nutritionally a critical time of year for ungulates, the flowers are an important source of food for giraffes, especially since they are not physically protected against herbivory. Giraffes visit the flowering trees reliably year after year, carry pollen on their heads and necks, and cover large distances between knobthorns. In this study, conducted

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Scaling of the Appendicular Skeleton of the Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Giraffes have remarkably long and slender limb bones, but it is unknown how they grow with regard to body mass, sex, and neck length. In this study, we measured the length, mediolateral (ML) diameter, craniocaudal (CC) diameter and circumference of the humerus, radius, metacarpus, femur, tibia, and metatarsus in 10 fetuses, 21 females, and 23 males of known body masses. Allometric exponents were determined and compared. We found the average bone length increased from 340 ± 50 mm at birth to 700 ± 120

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Are giraffes pollinators or flower predators of Acacia nigrescens in Kruger National Park, South Africa?

We examined the relationship between giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) and Acacia nigrescens in Kruger National Park, South Africa, to determine whether these tall ungulates may be providing a pollination service for the trees, or are simply flower predators. We quantified florivory and subsequent fruit set in the presence and absence of giraffes. Acacia nigrescens flowers are clearly a substantial dietary component for giraffes. Although A. nigrescens flowers contain almost three times as much condensed tannin as leaves, giraffes consume large quantities

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The diet of a small group of extralimital giraffe

Giraffe are extralimital in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa where recent local introductions have persisted despite limited research into their impact on the indigenous flora. The diet of 15 giraffe at the Shamwari Game Reserve was recorded by direct observation during summer (March/April) and winter (July/August) 2001, quantifying diet by frequency of occurrence (individual records scored and expressed as a percentage of the total). Preference indices were also calculated. Habitat use was measured by the number of hours giraffe

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Development of 11 microsatellite markers for Giraffa camelopardalis through 454 pyrosequencing, with primer options for an additional 458 microsatellites

Many wild giraffe populations are declining across Africa, with two subspecies listed by the IUCN as Endangered in the past 4 years. We developed 11 microsatellite markers from Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis in Etosha National Park, Namibia using 454 sequencing. In 70 individuals, the loci showed 2–4 alleles per locus and expected heterozygosities of 0.082–0.711. There were no significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium for any of the loci. Null allele frequencies were low (<3 %) across all loci. We present primer options for

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Female tannin avoidance: a possible explanation for habitat and dietary segregation of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) in Niger

Niger is host to the last free‐roaming herd of G.c. peralta (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta). We examined the foraging preferences of these giraffe in their dry‐season habitats, with the goal of preserving the herd in the regions that they currently inhabit. The current dry‐season habitat comprises two distinct vegetation zones. In both of these zones the giraffe must exist alongside the people of this region. The giraffes exhibit a sexual segregation in their dry‐season habitat selection and forage choices. The females

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Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency-like syndrome in giraffe

Studies were conducted on four giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) with diarrhea and three clinically healthy ones. The feces from both healthy and sick animals were examined to determine amylase, lipase and trypsin activity. In the feces of the giraffe with diarrhea a significant decrease of amylase and lipase activity was noted. The trypsin activity remained unchanged. Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency-like syndrome was diagnosed on the basis of laboratory investigations and histopathological examinations. The administration of pancreatic enzyme supplements (Pancreatin; Polfa, Poland) had

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Arthroscopic surgery in a reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)

An 8-month-old captive male reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) developed an acute lameness (grade IV/V) of the right forelimb, with swelling of the metacarpophalangeal joint. A traumatic injury was suspected based on clinical, radiographic, and arthroscopic evaluation. Several abnormalities were identified arthroscopically, including synovitis, cartilage damage, and an osteochondral fragment. Medial collateral ligament damage was also suspected based on radiographic evaluation. Arthroscopy provided a means of diagnosis and treatment of the abnormalities identified. The lameness in this giraffe resolved within

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Detection and characterisation of papillomavirus in skin lesions of giraffe and sable antelope in South Africa

Papillomavirus was detected electron microscopically in cutaneous fibropapillomas of a giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and a sable antelope (Hippotragus niger). The virus particles measured 45 nm in diameter. Histopathologically, the lesions showed histopathological features similar to those of equine sarcoid as well as positive immunoperoxidase-staining of tissue sections for papillomavirus antigen. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA. Bovine papillomavirus-1 was characterised by real-time PCR in the sable and giraffe, and cloning and sequencing of the PCR product revealed

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