What Good Is
That Long Neck?

By George W. Frame • Photos courtesy of the author

When it comes to survival, the giraffe really stands out.

I often saw giraffes in my years of studying the ecology of eastern Africa. Giraffes came to my house and pulled the fiery-red flowers of the bougainvillea vines from my roof. The giraffes were usually silent, and I heard only the vines being dragged across the roof or the loud sounds of chewing. Sometimes I heard a loud twaang and knew that a giraffe had walked into the clothesline and broken it from its posts.

Those long necks! How could something so awkward as a very long neck be useful?

Necking
Long necks figure into giraffes’ social behavior. One morning I stopped my truck to watch two giraffes “necking” (neck fighting). Two bull giraffes took turns slamming their heads against each other.

After nearly ten minutes, one of the giraffes seemed to admit defeat by stepping away and going behind a thornbush. The winner held his head high as if he wereclaiming victory.

These necking matches help determine which males have the highest rank. The dominant males are most likely to mate and produce offspring.

Neck Fighting The male giraffes below are neck-fighting by hitting one another with their heads. They are protected by their thick skins and by extra bone that strengthens their skulls.

Keeping Track of One Another
Giraffes’ long necks also help them to stay with the right group.

Giraffe society consists of two kinds of groups: the family, and the young males or bachelors. The family group includes several adult female giraffes, their young, and sometimes one or more adult males. In families, the adults must make sure they and their young stay together.

When young males are about three years old, they leave the family and join other bachelors. At seven years of age, they become adults and neck-fight with other adult males to win as high a rank as they can.

Many other kinds of animals call to one another to keep in touch and stay together. But not giraffes. Giraffes seem to keep track of each other by simply looking around. Their long necks give them built-in lookout posts for seeing over the tops of bushes and tall grass. They can see other giraffes far away.

Watching Out for Danger
A long neck gives the giraffe a lofty view from which it can watch for lions and other predators. Usually giraffes stay in woodlands, among trees and bushes. They have to be alert so they are not ambushed by lions.

I often found baby giraffes when I drove through the African bush. The babies were resting alone or together in a “nursery” area, while their mothers were away eating. At other times I saw baby giraffes walking with an adult male, with no mothers in sight. But I think the mothers were keeping an eye on their babies from a distance, to protect them from predators.

Sometimes I saw giraffes far out in the grasslands on the Serengeti Plain, away from cover. Even when lying down, they held their heads high and kept looking around. I wondered if they were watching for danger or looking for other giraffes.

Reaching Food
Being tall has another advantage. In the dry season, when food is scarce, the giraffes can reach green leaves and fruits that are out of reach for most other animals.

I frequently stopped my truck and sat quietly inside to watch. Usually the giraffes continued about their business, apparently thinking that the truck was just another harmless animal. The giraffes walked from tree to tree, taking a few bites of leaves here and there. Sometimes they walked close by me, and when I looked up at them, they seemed huge. Most adult giraffes are fourteen to eighteen feet tall.

The markings on giraffes’ coats vary according to where they live. Zoologists have named at least thirteen kinds of giraffes. The giraffes that I saw daily when I lived in Tanzania are called the “Masai” giraffe. When I traveled around northern Kenya, I saw the “reticulated” giraffe. All of them, however, have one important feature in common—that very long neck. To survive, they have to stand tall.