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GIRAFFE

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 43 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GIRAFFE , a corruption of Zarafah, the Arabic name for the tallest of all mammals, and the typical representative of the See also:

family Giraffidae, the distinctive characters of which are given in the See also:article See also:PECORA, where the systematic position of the See also:group is indicated. The classic See also:term " camelopard," probably introduced when these animals were brought from See also:North See also:Africa to the See also:Roman See also:amphitheatre, has fallen into See also:complete disuse. In See also:common with the See also:okapi, giraffes have skin-covered horns on the See also:head, but in these animals, which See also:form the genus Giraffa, these appendages are See also:present in both sexes; and there is often an unpaired one in advance of the pair on the forehead. Among other characteristics of these animals may be noticed the See also:great length of the See also:neck and limbs, the complete See also:absence of lateral toes and the See also:long and tufted tail. The See also:tongue is remarkable for its great length, measuring about 17 in. in the dead See also:animal, and for its great See also:elasticity and See also:power of See also:muscular contraction while living. It is covered with numerous large papillae, and forms, like the See also:trunk of the See also:elephant, an admirable See also:organ for the examination and prehension of See also:food. Giraffes are inhabit-ants of open See also:country, and owing to their length of neck and long flexible See also:tongues are enabled to browse on tall trees, mimosas being favourites. To drink or graze they are obliged to straddle the fore-legs apart; but they seldom feed on grass and are capable of going long without See also:water. When See also:standing among mimosas they so harmonize with their surroundings that they are difficult of detection. Formerly giraffes were found in large herds, but persecution has reduced their number and led to their extermination from many districts. Although in See also:late See also:Tertiary times widely spread over See also:southern See also:Europe and See also:India, giraffes are now confined to Africa See also:south of the See also:Sahara. Apart from the distinct Somali giraffe (Giraffe reticulate), characterized by its deep See also:liver-red See also:colour marked with a very coarse network of See also:fine See also:white lines, there are numerous See also:local forms of the See also:ordinary giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis).

The See also:

northern races, such as the Nubian G. c. typica and the See also:Kordofan G. c. antiquorum, are characterized by the large frontal See also:horn of the bulls, the white legs, the network type of coloration and the See also:pale tint. The latter feature is specially See also:developed in the Nigerian G. c. peralta, which is likewise of the northern type. The See also:Baringo G. c. rothschildi also has a large frontal horn and white legs, but the spots in the bulls are very dark and those of the See also:females jagged.. In the See also:Kilimanjaro G. c. tippelskirchi the frontal hornis often developed in the bulls, but the legs are frequently spotted to the fetlocks. Farther south the frontal horn tends to disappear more or less completely, as in the See also:Angola G. c. angolensis, the See also:Transvaal G. c. wardi and the Cape G. c. capensis, while the legs are fully spotted and the colour-See also:pattern on the See also:body (especially in the last-named) is more of a blotched type, that The North See also:African or Nubian Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis). is to say, consists of dark blotches on a fawn ground, instead of a network of See also:light lines on a dark ground. For details, see a See also:paper on the subspecies of Giraffa camelopardalis, by R. Lydekker in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of See also:London for 1904. (R.

End of Article: GIRAFFE

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