The ancient Egyptians and Greeks had a theory that giraffes were a combination of the leopard and the camel, so it was called "a camelopard". The giraffe is the tallest animal among all the living animals, but the scientists are unable to explain the cause of its long neck.
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck, a famous French zoologist, had a theory that once the giraffe's neck was much shorter than it now is. In his theory, he explained that the neck grew to its present length because of the animal's habit of reaching for the tender leaves in the upper branches of tree. But this theory is not widely accepted.
The Giraffe's tremendous height, which may reach 6 meters, comes mostly from its legs and neck. The neck of a giraffe has only seven vertebrae, which is what the human neck has. But each vertebra is extremely long and that's the cause that made the stiff necks of giraffes.
The strange shape and build of the giraffe is perfectly suited to enable it to obtain its food. A giraffe eats only plants, so its great height enables it to reach the leaves on trees which grow on the African savanna where there is little grass.
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck, a famous French zoologist, had a theory that once the giraffe's neck was much shorter than it now is. In his theory, he explained that the neck grew to its present length because of the animal's habit of reaching for the tender leaves in the upper branches of tree. But this theory is not widely accepted.
The Giraffe's tremendous height, which may reach 6 meters, comes mostly from its legs and neck. The neck of a giraffe has only seven vertebrae, which is what the human neck has. But each vertebra is extremely long and that's the cause that made the stiff necks of giraffes.
The strange shape and build of the giraffe is perfectly suited to enable it to obtain its food. A giraffe eats only plants, so its great height enables it to reach the leaves on trees which grow on the African savanna where there is little grass.
