'We suspect this is because the pastoralists may disrupt predator behaviors to protect their livestock and this benefits the giraffe calves,' said Lee.Д¬onversely, groups with calves avoided areas close to the larger towns of farming people, suggesting a difference between traditional bomas versus more densely populated human settlements for giraffe mothers seeking food and safety for themselves and their calves. 'We were testing hypotheses about mother and calf behavior to see if their strategy was for calves to hide in thick bushes to avoid predators, be in the open to see predators coming, or be in large groups for many eyes and lower individual risk.' 'Giraffe calves are vulnerable to being killed by lions and other carnivores, while adults are typically large enough to escape predation,' said senior author Barbara KГ¶nig, professor at the University of ZГјrich. In contrast, predation risk was a very important factor influencing groups of giraffes with calves.

These adult groups formed the largest groups-up to 66 individuals-in the rainy season when food is plentiful, but formed smaller groups during the dry season when food is harder to find. The study found that groups composed of only adult giraffes were food-focused and not affected by predation risk. So, we wondered how do these options influence giraffe grouping behavior?' There are lots of options in this landscape, including fewer lions outside the parks versus inside. 'Giraffes in our huge, unfenced study area can choose from among many different places to spend their time-places with different kinds of trees and bushes, places deep inside protected parks, or places closer to farming towns or ranchlands where people live. candidate from the University of ZГјrich and lead author of the paper. They are also used as a source of meat and are killed for their tail hair, which is often made into bracelets.'Like all herbivores, giraffes need to find quality food to survive, but also need to avoid lions, or at least see them coming,' said Monica Bond, Ph.D.

The major threats to giraffes are habitat loss and poaching. At birth, the calf is already about 6ft tall, taller than the average human being! After a gestation of 15 months, the cow delivers a single calf while standing.

They seldom lie down, sleep less than 2 hours a day, and usually sleep standing up.ДЄ giraffe is sexually mature at 3-4 years of age. Their long powerful legs are their best defence and capable of delivering a fatal kick to a predator.ДЄt 50cm long, their tongues are both flexible and prehensile (capable of grasping) and make them very effective feeders on their favourite vegetation.ДЄs giraffes are so tall they find it difficult to get up quickly once lying down, and are vulnerable to predators when sitting. Each giraffe has its own individual pattern, like a human fingerprint.ДЄlthough they generally move at a very relaxed pace, they may attain a speed of 56km over short distances. The giraffes' neck is long and flexible but only contains 7 neck bones, just like humans. Males can reach heights of 5.5 metres and females 4.8 metres. Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world, superbly adapted to feeding on the leaves at the tops of trees.

Giraffe predators threats