Why do giraffes have a long neck?

               Giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world, but scientists are unable to explain how it got its long neck. A famous French zoologist, Jean Baptiste de Lamarck, proposed a theory that at one time giraffe’s neck was much shorter than what it is now. It had to raise its neck to eat the leaves of the trees. According to Lamarck, the part of the body which is used most develops most. The giraffe had to raise its neck time and again to reach the upper branches of trees when the leaves on lower branches were eaten away. This excessive use of the neck resulted in its gradual increase. The successive generations of the giraffe started having longer necks and finally today’s long-necked giraffe emerged.

               The male giraffes grow upto a height of 5.5 m and weigh more than 1, 000kg. It is an herbivore. It chews its food in spare time. The formation of giraffe’s body is such that its mouth can easily reach the leaves of high trees. Its tongue is about 45 cms long and so constructed that it can even eat the leaves of thorny plants. Its upper lip is long which helps it wrench off many leaves at a time.

               The colour of giraffes resembles the shadow of the trees and as such it is not easily visible to its enemies. It is usually yellowish-brown. Its ears are very sensitive.

               It can hear the faintest sounds, but it is nearly incapable of uttering sounds. The word ‘nearly’ has been used because some of the female giraffes and their young ones have been found mowing like cow or ox in the zoological parks but most of them do not utter sounds. The reason for this inability lies in the underdevelopment of its voice box or larynx. Probably due to this reason, it has a keen sense of smell and sight. If attacked, it can run at a speed of 45 kms per hour for an extended period of time without tiring. As far as fast running is concerned, it can beat even the fastest of horses. When it is attacked by some other animal, it retaliates with the help of its head and hind legs. As its eyes are far above the ground, it can easily see predators long before they can get close enough to attack. That is why even the lion has to be very cautious while attacking a giraffe. Lion always attacks it from behind because giraffe strikes with its head like a hammer.