Opt in to receive news and updates. We use MailerLite as our marketing automation platform. By clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailerLite for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Please check your email to confirm your subscription. You will not be subscribed until we receive your confirmation.
All rights reserved unless otherwise stated. Hit enter to search or ESC to close. Close Search. Giraffe Facts Some of your most frequently asked questions answered. Do all giraffe have horns? Their biggest threat: humans.
Relocating animals to create new populations could bolster some species but poses new risks. Go Further. Animals Climate change is shrinking many Amazonian birds. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.
Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Environment COP26 nears conclusion with mixed signals and frustration.
Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment As the EU targets emissions cuts, this country has a coal problem. Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries. Again, the answer is no! Rather, they are a pair of ossicones. These are different from true horns and antlers in several key ways. Although, in practice, ossicones are very similar to these other forms of headgear.
Whether a giraffe is female, male, young, old, or anything in between, they have ossicones in one form or another. The same is true for young giraffes of both sexes. The ossicones of adult male giraffes , however, tend to be larger and thicker and usually have little to no hair on top.
Bonus fact: The fact that the males and females differ in characteristics, beyond their reproductive organs, is called sexual dimorphism. Some giraffe species also grow other smaller ossicones on their heads, which are more like bumps than horns. These bumps tend to be larger in males than in females. The extras are a pair of bumps behind the main set, and another bump above the bridge of the nose. The front bump is most prominent in male Northern and reticulated giraffes , which is one of the features that sets them apart from their Southern and Masai cousins.
However, ossicones are not actually made of living bone. Instead, they comprise ossified cartilage , which is cartilage that has effectively turned into hard, bone-like tissue. They differ from horns and antlers in that skin and fur cover them , as opposed to velvet or keratin.
In addition, ossicones are not subject to seasonal shedding, which is the hallmark of the antler. These horn-like protuberances are unique to giraffes, okapis, and a few of their long-extinct cousins. So, what are giraffe horns for? Yet evolution tells us that they must have been useful at some point in time.
The truth is, no one really knows why exactly giraffes have ossicones. It seems likely that they are remnants of more useful appendages, found in distant ancestors. Possibly protrusions to which something larger attached to the head.
The boney antennae add weight to the head, which proves useful in combat. Male giraffes fight by swinging their long necks , colliding their heads against their opponents. As such, having a pointy pair of protrusions, as well as a bit of extra weight, is something that adds an advantage.
Remember the furless ossicones of male giraffes? Necking is the real culprit. Years of knocking noggins with other males wears away the fur and skin, until their ossicones become bald. In fact, giraffes are the only animal born with horns. Fortunately for mother giraffes, however, the protrusions have a clever way of protecting both parties.
0コメント