Nubian Giraffe

The word camelopardalis comes from Latin, and it is the romanization of the Greek "καμηλοπάρδαλις" meaning "giraffe". From "κάμηλος" (kamēlos), "camel" + "πάρδαλις" (pardalis), "spotted". The name "giraffe" has its earliest known origins in the Arabic word zarāfah (زرافة), perhaps borrowed from the animal's Somali name geri for neck.

• Singular: giraffe

• Plural: giraffes

The Nubian giraffe has sharply defined chestnut-colored spots surrounded by mostly white lines, while undersides lack spotting (only in juvenile or adolescent until in adult stage). The median lump is particularly developed in the male giraffe.

The giraffe, which can grow to a height of 5 to 6 meters, feeds on acacia, commiphora, and other high foliage that is inaccessible to most herbivores. It also has keen vision and acute hearing, making it a great predator scanner across long distances. They can run up to 56 km/h in brief bursts.

Because of their long legs, long necks, and high center of gravity, giraffes are not very good swimmers, however they can float when compelled to do so. Males are the only ones who use their necks as weapons; during dominance battles, they swing their long necks and heavy heads at one another. These fights decide mating rights rather than territory, and strikes can be so potent that they can knock opponents off balance.

They are browsers that subsist on a variable diet that includes leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits. They do not need to drink daily. Across the continent, detailed records of Giraffe feeding ecology have noted that each population has a very diverse diet of up to 93 different species, but that usually a half dozen plant species comprise at least 75% of the diet. Acacia is fed on in high proportions wherever Giraffes are found, but during the dry season, the preferred plant species varies by location.

Plants like Faidherbia, Boscia, Grewia, and Kigelia have all been identified as the most common plant species in the diet of Giraffes in the dry season in different locations. They have thick lips, tongue, and throat so they are able to consume acacia trees and others that are very thick and thorny. Giraffes only need to drink once every few days. Young giraffes are self-sufficient but vulnerable. Although few predators attack adults, lions, hyenas, and leopards take their toll on the young.

As top-level browsers, they shape the structure of the plants, disperse seeds through excrement, and support symbiotic species like oxpeckers. Humans, lions, leopards, hippos, rhinos, painted dogs, jackals, crocodiles, and pythons are among their natural enemies.

Reproduction

• Gestation: about 15 months.

• Usually single calf, standing within 1 hour of birth.

• Females give birth in loosely defined nursery herds.

• Males do not assist in calf rearing.

The males of the Nubian giraffe frequently roam alone or in bachelor herds, while females and young live in loose herds. Unless it is threatened, this giraffe is usually peaceful and non-aggressive. Giraffes ruminate (chew cud) when standing or lying down, and they typically feed in the chilly morning and evening.

Giraffes are shy but kind, and while they may put up with people in protected areas, they are not tamed and can be dangerous if disturbed. A giraffe can kill lions with a kick, and if it feels threatened, it may also kill humans.

Threats

• Poaching (for meat and hide).

• Civil conflict reducing protection.

• Habitat loss and degradation.

• Persecuted by native species.

• Small, isolated populations causing genetic decline.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered (CR)

Conservation Efforts

• Sanctuaries and protected areas in Kenya and Uganda.

• Translocations to safer reserves.

• Population surveys, anti-poaching units, and community-based conservation.

• International protection under CITES Appendix II and IUCN assessments.

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

Giraffes occurred everywhere in Africa; the Nubian giraffe was widespread throughout North Africa, from Kenya to Egypt. The giraffe lives in savannahs and woodlands. The Nubian giraffe currently lives in eastern South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia, and isolated pockets in Uganda and Kenya. The Nubian Giraffe is presumed to occur only in Gambella National Park in the far west of Ethiopia and in Boma National Park and Bandingilo Reserve in South Sudan.

• Movement Pattern: Full Migrant

• Individual Type: Random

• Population Trend: Decreasing

• Population: 455?

• Locomotion: Terrestrial

• Habitat: Taiga; Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests, Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Ethiopia; Kenya; South Sudan; Uganda

• Berbania: Hirojafza

• Reinachos: Pascua

Due to their large living space needs, specialized nutrition, potentially dangerous kicks, unpredictable behavior, legal constraints, and endangered status, giraffes are not suited as pets in our universe. They should only be kept in accredited zoos or conservation parks.

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubian_giraffe

• https://www.bbryanpreserve.com/rothschild-giraffe

• https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/giraffe

• https://animalsafari.com/giraffe-facts-to-know-before-your-visit/

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/88420707/88420710

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Nubian-Giraffe-918547654