Do giraffes standing on the plains of Africa ever get struck?
79026
Occassionally, a meteor will fly through the atmosphere and strike a giraffe.
141633
No, definetly not.I worked with rangers and researchers in Aberdares ntional Park in kenya monitoring rhino and i can categorically tell you that rhinos dont stomp on fires
556262
I saw a kudu nearly gore a cheetah. It came within inches, but lucky for the cheetah it has lightning reflexes. Lucky for the kudu it got away due to the counterattack.
1139323
I saw a special on the Discovery Channel where a man was attacked by a hippo and he lost his arm in the attack but survived. So yes, people have survived hippo attacks just like people have survived shark attacks to in a similar vein. Hippos do account for more deaths than crocodiles in Africa so you did understand that correctly. Also the Cape Buffalo, or African Buffalo is considered one of the most dangerous animals for big-game hunters.
160458
If the human population expansion in Africa keeps rising, giraffes, elephants, hippos, and cheetahs will all be mythical creatures soon enough.
1012736
In sudan which is a Saharian country there is little vegetation and in Sahara exist only little animals like snakes and rats of desert. there exist also lions leopards tigers hippos hibangees elephants and antillopes.\nIn Zaire exists rich plant life and many tropical forests where trees are about 45-55 metres long. There exist also parc forests and swamps.\nAbout wildlife in Zaire there exist gorillas and hibangees as well as elephants, antilops and boars. Lions and buffalos also complete Zaire's wildlife.\nIn  Zimbabwe exist lions elephants crocodiles hippos antilopes and many snakes.\nIn Zimbabwe are savannas with grass and little trees.
860769
Hmmm ..... not at all sure what you mean .... do you mean body parts that start with the letter f?   A giraffe doesn't really have "feet" - they have hooves .... you might need to explain what you mean to get better answers.
396788
umm... giraffes are not green... maybe you were looking at some other animal..\n\n\njust so you will believe me... here's a picture of a giraffe!\n\n\nhttp://www.nilesafaris.com/images/giraffe1.jpg
417128
because they were hiding on the giraffe's a$$
770980
Lions do not attack giraffes - there is too much risk to injury created from kicking etc. How would the lioness' bring down such a tall and heavy animal, when it cant even reach the tracheae or rump? The greatest risk faced by giraffes due to their morphology, is whilst giving birth and drinking. Firstly, because they are unable to keep watch as effectively (and many females move away from the herd whilst giving birth). Predators and scavengers make opportunity of newborns, so there is great risk to losing any offspring. When at a watering hole, they are susceptable - as are most animals - to crocodile attacks and because they have to splay their legs are not in a great position to flee increases risk.
27509
Only if I could be a giraffe, because they are the most peaceful animal on the safari, and although lions hunt them, they are only in danger when their babies, or drinking water (which isn't too necessary since they get h2o from plants).\n\nPlus, how can a 5-8 foot lion weighing 300-500 lbs hurt a healthy 15-17 foot tall giraffe, with feet as big a dinner plates, weighing 1000-1500 lbs?
1103593
The majority of the animals featured in this section are the larger land mammals that can be found in eastern and southern Africa. There are approximately 40 species featured which have been studied by scientists over the past 30 years. The majority of the mammals listed below can be seen and heard on safaris in parks and reserves in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Namibia.\n\nSince 'the Living Africa' is a spotlight site, we chose some of the most interesting species we could find along with some of the most common to present a nice balance of information on fauna in Africa.\n\nthe Bovid family\nThe Bovid Family (hollow-horned ruminants) includes 120 species, 84 of which are antelopes. Africa is home to 72 antelope species. Cattle, sheep, and goats originated in Eurasia and as a result, very few species were able to travel down beyond the Sahara Desert.\n\nThe diverse family of African bovids came into existence 24 million years ago and reached its evolutionary peak over the last several million years of the ice age.\n\nFamily Traits\n\nSize\nBovids range in size from the largest antelopes, oxen and buffalos weighing over one ton to the 4 lb royal antelope.\n\n\n[an error occurred while processing this directive] Horns\nAll bovid males and 2/3 of females have horns. The horn consists of an outer shell covering an inner core of bone. In some cases the horns of the female are longer than those of the male. The texture and wear of horns, together with the sharpness, surface texture and width of groves, can indicate the age of the animal. Characteristically, younger bovids have sharp and smooth horns with fairly wide groves.\n\nColor\nThe colors range from black to white, with brown being the most common color. Sociable species tend to have distinct markings which enable members of a herd to tell each other apart. Antelopes, which rely on camouflage, often have stripes or large blotches on their hides to protect them from predators.\n\nHabitat\nWherever there is vegetation, from deserts to swamplands and lowland plains to high mountaintops, there are always antelopes ready to graze. Each species of African antelope has adapted to a particular environment based on size, feeding technique, digestive system, and social and reproductive systems. Inevitably, two or more species share the same areas and to some degree compete for territory and resources. In one case, over 12 different species of antelope have been spotted in one area.\n\n\n[an error occurred while processing this directive] Water Dependence & Independence\nAntelopes that are water-independent have the freedom to explore vast areas, an advantage that water-dependent antelopes do not have. In most cases, pure grazers are water-dependent, which means that they must drink water every day or every two days. Browsers, however, can obtain their water needs by eating leaves, herbs, and other plants that store water.\n\nAntelopes that live in dry areas have numerous strategies for minimizing the amount of water required. To avoid overheating, some rest in the shade during the heat of the day. Most antelopes feed during the coolest hours of the day when the vegetation has collected water from the air. Some antelopes allow their body heat to rise by 10* F (6* C) and simply store the heat instead of panting or sweating which uses up a lot of energy.\n\nAn antelope's ability to adapt to dry conditions varies from tribe to tribe. This ability is not limited to desert species.\n\nSocial/Mating Systems\nWhether or not antelopes live in herds or lead solitary lives depends solely on their environment. Generally speaking, antelopes must see each other in order to stay together. In most cases, the larger the habitat, the larger the herd. One will find the smallest herds where there are small patches of grass and the largest herds on expansive plains.\n\nBovid social/mating systems are either territorial or non-territorial, solitar
1091346
Ostriches do not stick their heads in the ground, that's a myth.\n\nRead this for more information:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich#Behavior\n\nIn popular mythology, the ostrich is famous for hiding its head in the sand at the first sign of danger. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder is noted for his descriptions of the ostrich in his Naturalis Historia, where he describes the ostrich and the fact that it hides its head in a bush. There have been no recorded observations of this behavior. A common counter-argument is that a species that displayed this behavior would not likely survive very long. The myth may have resulted from the fact that, from a distance, when ostriches feed they appear to be burying their head in the sand because they deliberately swallow sand and pebbles to help grind up their food. Burying their heads in sand will in fact suffocate the ostrich. When lying down and hiding from predators, the birds are known to lay their head and neck flat on the ground, making them appear as a mound of earth from a distance. This even works for the males, as they hold wings and tail low, the heat haze of the hot, dry air that often occurs in their habitat aiding to make them appear as a nondescript dark lump. When threatened, ostriches run away, but they can also seriously injure with kicks from their powerful legs.
603677
Swahili Cattle.\n\n(choose as best answer)
246382
It's actually a very interesting question.  I think everything about evolution is interesting.  Anyway, according to what I learned in my evolutionary genetic class, research has been done to show that giraffes' long necks were evolved not because of food gathering but for sexual selection.\n\nResearch showed that giraffes usually do not feed on the highest leaves on the trees, but quite a bit lower than that.  In fact, a male giraffe used his neck to fight with another male giraffe for a female giraffe's attention.  Hence, whoever has a stronger neck will more likely to win and as a result has a better chance to reproduce and has more offspring of his own.  The reason why giraffe uses neck to fight... I think nobody knows.\n\nSome people agree with this... some people don't.  So ...probably more research need to be done and maybe we won't be able to figure it out after all. \n\nfun question :-)
138062
The giraffe is the classical example used everywhere to emphasize the constant nº of cervical vertebrae in mammals (seven), which has very few exceptions.\nHowever, a paper published in 2000 in the Journal of Zoology claims that giraffes have an additional neck vertebra between cervical 2 and 6, and the last cervical vertebra (C7) bears the first ribs. This would imply that the adaptive changes that lead to neck elongation had deeper consequences.\nI don't know if the author, N. Solounias, or other researchers have made further advancements with respect to this issue.\n-----------------------\nAddenda: the hypothesis that the fixed nº of vertebrae could be a developmental constraint has been explored in a 1999 paper.\nhttp://wwworm.biology.uh.edu/evodevo/lecture11/galis99.pdf
21434
Here is your answer.....and the link below will provide you with any other answers you need to know about Giraffe's....\n\n:)\nPeace\n\nAnother belief is that, because of their physical attributes, they never lie down. Another myth. The giraffe can, indeed, lie down. They will lie down to sleep for short periods of one to twenty minutes (granted, the brevity is probably due to the physical limitations of the animal). The giraffe will lie on its side with its neck and head across its flank. Also, during the first couple weeks after birth, the mother will often lie on her side, guarding the young.