Left Ventricular Morphology of the Giraffe Heart Examined by Stereological Methods
The giraffe heart has a relative mass similar to other mammals, but generates twice the blood pressure to overcome the gravitational challenge of perfusing the cerebral circulation. To provide insight as to how the giraffe left ventricle (LV) is structurally adapted to tackle such a high afterload, we performed a quantitative structural study of the […]
Experimental Infection of Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) With SAT-1 and SAT-2 Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus
The potential role of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in the epidemiology and spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) SAT types was investigated by experimental infection and detection of virus in excretions using virus isolation on primary pig kidney cell cultures. In two experiments separated by a period of 24 months, groups of four animals were needle infected […]
Food selection by giraffes in relation to changes in chemical composition of the leaves
Food preferences and food selection by giraffe have been extensively investigated but little data concerning the chemical composition of the preferred species are available. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the differences and seasonal changes in the chemical composition of the leaves of preferred food plants influence food selection. Protein content and moisture seem to be the […]
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) rumen microbiome
Recent studies have shown that wild ruminants are sources of previously undescribed microorganisms, knowledge of which can improve our understanding of the complex microbial interactions in the foregut. Here, we investigated the microbial community of seven wild-caught giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis), three of which were fed natural browse and four were fed Boskos pellets, leafy alfalfa […]
The impact of age-class and social context on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in free-ranging male giraffes
One of the primary sources of perceived stress is the social environment of an animal and the interactions with conspecifics. An essential component of the response to a stressor is the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical axis, which results amongst others in a temporal increase in circulating glucocorticoid (GC) levels. Giraffes occur in a highly flexible […]
Seasonal changes in social networks of giraffes
Fission-fusion social societies allow animals to respond in a flexible manner to environmental changes by adapting the size and composition of a group. Although group members change frequently in these systems, associations with preferred partners may be found. In this study, we examined the grouping patterns of a population of 80 individual giraffes in a […]
Movement patterns and herd dynamics among South African giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa)
Giraffes reside in a fission–fusion social system, with sex, age proximity, kinship and home range overlap accounting for some of the variance in herd composition, while season, sex, age and time of day influence diet, home range size and distance travelled. To increase our knowledge of habitat use and fission–fusion herd dynamics, we placed GPS […]
Age and socially related changes in fecal androgen metabolite concentrations in free-ranging male giraffes
In many mammal species, androgen levels in males are elevated during periods of mating activity, often to facilitate aggressive behavior between males over access to fertile females. However, this pattern might be less obvious in species with a rather low male-male aggression rate, or in those that are not strictly seasonal breeders. A complex social […]
Giraffe weight estimation using dissected leg weight and body measurements
Data from 44 adult giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) showed that leg weight as a percentage of body weight is sufficiently constant to provide regression equations useful for estimating body or carcass weight. Data from 53 giraffes of various ages show that reliable estimates of body weight can be made from linear body measurements, regardless of sex […]
A study on the social organisation of the Southern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa)
In this study, I have investigated the social structure of a population of the Southern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) residing in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa. To do so, association data was collected using photo-identification to recognise individual giraffes. Within the study period between October 27th 2012 and January 25th 2013, 257 groups of giraffes […]