Results tagged “giraffe” on Earth Touch Blog
Did you know? Flehmen May 20 2008
Flehmen is a behaviour observed in many mammals, which involves curling or pulling back the upper lip so as to perceive a scent.
Tags: behaviour, breeding, flehmen, giraffe, jacobson's organ, lion, lip, mammal, oestrus, scent, zebraThe Earth-Touch baby album Apr 30 2008
Over the months, Earth-Touch has been privileged to witness the early days, survival struggles and playful moments of many young animals. Here is a selection of these video clips.
Tags: africa, baboon, baby, bath, bird, botswana, burrow, calf, cape, chick, coast, colony, cub, delta, den, dog, egg, elephant, endangered, fish, fly, foal, giraffe, herd, hluhluwe, imfolozi, juvenile, karoo, kite, kwazulu-natal, lion, mammal, meerkat, monkey, moremi, mud, okavango, piglet, reef, sodwana, south africa, thailand, tree, trunk, video, warthog, water, western cape, whale, young, zebraEye to eye with a giraffe Apr 2 2008
A female giraffe’s long eyelashes, whiskery mouth, tufted horns and patterned coat take on new interest when viewed close up.
Tags: acacia, bird, browse, eat, giraffe, hluhluwe, imfolozi, kwazulu-natal, mammal, oxpecker, parasite, savannah, south africa, treeDid you know? Interesting facts about giraffes Mar 4 2008
Giraffes hold several records in the animal kingdom: they are the tallest living creatures, they have the longest necks, they have the largest hearts of any land animal, and they have the highest blood pressure of all living animals.
Tags: adaptation, advantage, animal, bend, blood, blood pressure, botswana, brain, bull, communication, competition, feed, foliage, food, giraffe, head, heart, herd, male, mammal, neck, okavango delta, record, tallWildlife news from around the world
More to giraffes than meets the eye Jan 29 2008
The journal BMC Biology has published research suggesting that African giraffe populations usually recognised as subspecies of Giraffa camelopardalis may potentially represent different species.
Tags: conservation, dna analysis, giraffe, lineage, mammal, university of california, los angeles, vertebrateDid you know? Giraffe’s Latin name Dec 19 2007
The giraffe’’s scientific name is camelopardalis, the Latin for camel leopard. When giraffes were first brought to Rome in 46 BC, they were thought to be similar to a camel, with spots like a leopard. Although they are in no way related to or a combination of these animals, this name has remained.
Tags: giraffe, mammal, scientific name, vertebrateDid you know? Giraffes and camelthorn acacias Dec 10 2007
The acacia species (Acacia erioloba) is commonly found in Botswana, particularly in the Okavango Delta. It is distinct because of its blue-green canopy and dark bark.
Tags: acacia, adaptation, afrikaans, camel, giraffe, lip, mammal, plant, tongue, vertebrateMarabou storks’ sunset viewing Nov 29 2007
The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) is a large and heavy bird, with a bald head, long legs and a massive bill. Its odd shape is silhouetted against the evening sky of the Okavango Delta, Botswana in the Earth-Touch clip, Storks watch giraffe go by.
Newborn giraffe follows mother Nov 22 2007
The Earth-Touch film crew in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, came across a group of giraffes inspecting a recently born calf, its fur still matted.
Giraffe at sunset Nov 14 2007
As the sun paints the sky different shades of red and orange in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, passing giraffe are silhouetted against the setting sun in the Earth-Touch clip, Storks watch giraffe go by.
The sunset in this part of the world is often spectacular, especially during the summer months. As Botswana is a flat country, much of it desert, there are layers of dust that fill the air, enhancing the golden haze on the horizon.
Tags: bird, colour, giraffe, mammal, marabou stork, stork, sunset, vertebrateThe week’s most viewed stories Nov 2 2007
The most popular stories on Earth-Touch in the past week (from Friday 26 October to Thursday 01 November 2007) were:
Number 1
Even though the pride of lions now includes six adults, the risk of taking on a large herd of buffalo in broad daylight is still too high.
Did you know? The giraffe’s neck Oct 29 2007
The giraffe’s neck is made up of seven elongated vertebrae. This adaptation allows the animal to feed high in the trees.
Encounter with a baby in hiding Oct 29 2007
A few years ago a group of friends and I went on an early morning bush walk in one of South Africa’’s private game reserves. It was the middle of winter, and after a fairly jolly evening the night before, it was with bleary eyes and pounding heads that we stumbled out of our tents before sunrise and followed our guide reluctantly into the chilly, frost-rimed bushveld.
Just after sunrise, we were trudging along in single file, shivering and grumbling, when our guide suddenly held up his hand and signalled for us to stop.
Tags: bush, calf, game reserve, giraffe, south africa, sunrise, treelineDid you know? Red-billed oxpecker Oct 15 2007
Red-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) live off the ticks and mites that they pick off the skin of their mammalian hosts, to which they cling with their short legs and sharp claws.
Tags: bird, claw, elephant, giraffe, host, impala, kudu, leg, mite, oxpecker, red-billed oxpecker, skin, tick, warthog, waterbuckDid you know? Giraffe communication Sep 20 2007
Giraffes, like elephants, communicate mostly through infrasound, which is inaudible by humans.
They do, however, sometimes grunt, and make whistle-like noises as well. Mother giraffes whistle to their calves, which may in turn mew. Giraffes will also grunt and snort in alarm.
Tags: communication, female, giraffe, infrasound, male, oestrus, soundPage 1 of 1 pages
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