Masai+Giraffe

Masai Giraffe
//Giraffa cameloparadalis tippelskirchi//

__**Basic Information:**__

 * Scientific Name:** Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi
 * Scientific Classification:**
 * = **Domain** ||= Eukarya ||
 * = **Kingdom** ||= Animalia ||
 * = **Phylum** ||= Chordata ||
 * = **Class** ||= Mammalia ||
 * = **Order** ||= Artiodactyla ||
 * = **Family** ||= Giraffidae ||
 * = **Genus** ||= Giraffa ||
 * = **Species** ||= G. camelopardalis ||

__Habitat:[[image:mthsecology/map.png align="right" caption="Masai Giraffe are found where the orange dots are"]]__
Masai giraffe are found in Kenya and Tanzania. They are mostly found in savannas, scrubs , open acacia woodlands , and subtropical and tropical grasslands with trees and bushes. Savannas get rainfall variations year to year and they are also known for dry season wildfires. Savannas have warm temperature year round usually at an average of 70 degrees but they have two very different seasons. They have a long dry season which occurs in the winter and a very wet season that occurs in the summer. During the summer the savanna gets an average of 15-25 inches of rainfall. In the savanna you will find open fields of grass with scattered trees. The savanna mostly consists of herbivores and some carnivores. Animals in the savanna include lions, zebras, and elephants. A physical adaptation that giraffes have is that they have long necks to reach food in the trees that other herbivores can't reach. A behavioral adaption to the environment that the Masai giraffe has is that it does not have a seasonal breeeding season.

__Species Interactions:__
Giraffe are the primary consumers in their food chain making them herbivores. They feed on twigs of trees, shrubs, grass and fruit. Giraffe eat less food than normal herbivores because the foliage they eat have a lot of nutrients. They can survive without water when it is scarce but when water is available they drink at intervals of three days or less. Giraffe are ruminant, meaning they chew their food, swallow it for processing, then it comes up the neck to the mouth, and they chew it and repeat. Their tongue is also 45 centimeters long and is prehensile, allowing them to grab twigs and leaves. An adaptation that they have to help them collect food is that they have really long necks. Their necks can get to an average of 2 meters long. Since they have long necks they can reach up to where other animals can't, providing them with more food. Some species that prey on giraffe are lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, and crocodiles. Since giraffe are so tall the only way that other species can attack them is if they make them fall over. Parasites also feed on giraffe, such as ticks .Giraffe have mutualistic relationships with red and yellow billed oxpeckers that clean them of ticks. Giraffe are also susceptible to diseases and can host a number of internal parasites.

__Reproduction:__
The giraffe first begins its life as a calf. When it is born it is dropped 2 meters to the ground since giraffes give birth standing up. The mother then licks the newborn clean and encourages it to walk. In less than a couple of hours the newborn will be running around. But during the first two weeks the newborn spends most of its time laying down, guarded by the mother. At a year old the calf will be weaned but remain close to the mother for another year, or for a lifetime. The calf will reach sexual maturity at the age of three or four, but sometimes the calf will remain with the mother until her next calving, due to such a strong maternal bond. Giraffes mating strategy is that a few older males will impregnate all the fertile females. To test for fertility in the females the males will taste the females urine. They taste it to detect for estrus; once an estrus female is found the male will start to try to court her. Females prefer more dominant males while the males prefer the younger females. Some parenting strategies that giraffes have are that they group into nursery herds consisting two or more infants and their mothers. Sometimes mothers in the group will leave their calf/calves with one female while they travel to other areas to find food. Adult males play no role in raising the young, so the young are vulnerable to predators. In order to protect her calf the mother will kick with her hooves at any predators.

__**Exploitation Status[[image:mthsecology/tribes.jpg width="348" height="198" align="right" caption="Giraffe being killed by tribesmen"]]**__
Giraffe's were a main target for hunters throughout Africa. They were hunted for their tails, hide, and meat. Their tails were used as good luck charms, fly swatters, and for thread. Their hide or skin was used for sandals, shields, and drums. Their hairs were used to make necklaces and bracelets. But as of today NASA scientists have been studying the skin of giraffe to develop a new suit for astronauts. Now the main threats to giraffes is habitat loss.

__**Cultural Significance**__
Giraffes were subjects of art throughout Africa; the Egyptians even gave the giraffe its own hierogylph.The artist Salvador Dali depicted the giraffe as a symbol of masculinity.The Greeks and Romans believed that the giraffe was a hybrid of a camel and a leopard, giving it the scientific name //camelopardalis.// The medicine men of Buganda burned the skin of giraffes as a way to treat nose bleeds. When a chinese explorer took a giraffe and put it in the Ming Dynasty Zoo, many people were fascinated and believed it to be the mythical Qilin. The mythical Qiliin was a chimera (composed of parts of many animals, with the head of a lioness, a tail that ended with a snakes head, and a head of a goat arose out of the back) that was said to bring good prosperity. Giraffe's also play minor roles in animated movies like //The Lion King, Into the Wild,// and //Madagascar. //The giraffe is also famous for the mascot of ToysRus as "Geoffrey the Giraffe."