Giraffes are very, very odd animals.
Mostly neck and leg, with a shout out to their unsettlingly long tongues, they seem to have been built from a grab bag of leftover body bits, yielding an animal somehow both elegant and comedic.
A recent study published in Science Advances identified a catalogue of giraffe-specific gene mutations required to support their bizarre form and said “the suite of adaptations associated with the extreme stature of the giraffe has long interested biologists and physiologists”.
To mark World Giraffe Day, here’s a few things you may not have known about this fascinating animal…
1. No two giraffes look alike
The blotchy, spotted pattern on a giraffe’s back and sides acts like a human fingerprint. Every individual is different, a boon for conservationists needing to identify different members of a herd.
2. Giraffes need barely any sleep
Though giraffes can run as fast as 35 miles per hour, theirs is not typically an active lifestyle, and they need fewer than 30 minutes sleep each day. Sometimes they get by on much less, resting their heads on their rumps for a quick nap while one or more herd members stands guard.
