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Viatouch
Teacher Articles
Science
Giraffe Birth Notice
The Serengetti Sun Classifieds
by Margaret Etherton
 Mr. Patrick and Mrs. Georgina Giraffe are delighted to announce the arrival of their newborn calf, Jonathan Adrian, on Saturday 20th of September, 2004. He weighs 95 kilograms (209 pounds) and measures 1.8 meters (6 feet) in height. After carrying him for 453 days, his mother had a normal delivery. Jonathon dropped headfirst, two meters (6 ½ feet) into the world, but made a safe landing. Mother and baby are doing well.
Jonathon was born in a protected breeding ground not far from the Serengeti, a national park in east Africa. (His parents are keeping the exact location a secret in case lions, hyenas, leopards and African wild dogs find the hidden site.) Five minutes later, he stood on four wobbly legs.
Jonathan has a strong powerful neck that will help him reach the shoots of the whistling-thorn acacia tree. He has two horns and a long tufty tail, which he uses to whisk away flies. His coat has irregular star-shaped patches ranging in color from pale orange to russet brown, which will darken as he gets older. In between the patches are beautiful buff colored lines. This unique pattern makes him distinct from the rest of his herd.
His parents are pleased to note that Jonathon can already make a bleating noise. They eagerly await a moo, bellow, and whistle. He can already splay his fore legs and bend his knees to drink. His parents are hopeful that when he gets bigger he will learn to neck wrestle with the other baby giraffes. In a few more weeks he will join the calf nursery group, where he will be carefully watched over while his mother grazes further afield to make rich milk for him. A new brother to 18-month old Geraldine, Jonathon Adrian is a welcome addition to the herd of Masai giraffes of the Serengeti. The herd is thrilled by the blessed arrival of baby Jonathon.
Facts:
 There are nine subspecies of giraffes, each differentiated by coat color and pattern.
Giraffes were mistakenly named giraffa camelopardalis, because they were thought to be a cross between a camel and a leopard.
The giraffe's long neck, like other mammals, possesses only seven cervical vertebrae.
Females choose male partners with the longest and strongest necks.
Baby giraffes are very vulnerable to attacks by predators, especially lions. Over one half of all calves die within the first year of life.
The mother does not leave her calf for the first few days. After that she will wander a bit further afield, still keeping a close lookout for dangers with her excellent vision. In a few weeks she will leave her calf with a group of other giraffes at the nursery, sometimes called a crèche.
Giraffes are under threat in Africa for a number of reasons. They are attacked by tribesmen for food. Their tails are woven into bracelets, because giraffes are believed to bring good luck. Their grassland habitat is encroached on by expanding human populations.
Giraffes are herbivores, animals that eat only plants. Giraffe's long tongues, which measure 45 centimeters (18 inches) long, enable them to eat the tender shoots and leaves from overhead branches or shrubs.
Baby giraffes are weaned from their mothers in three to eighteen months.
Giraffes graze all day, but only need to drink once every few days, because they are able to get moisture from leaves.
The brown and buff colored patches on the body of a giraffe camouflage it against the dappled light of scrub and trees of the savannah bush land.
To protect themselves and their young from attackers, giraffes run fast and fight using powerful kicks with their hooves.
Bibliography
Books:
Macdonald, D. Encyclopedia of Mammals. NY: Facts on File Publications, 1984.
Mammals, An Explore Your World Handbook, London: Discovery Books, 2000.
Videos:
Champions of the Wild: Giraffes, (video recording), 8 October 2002, Discovery Channel, Optus Television.
Internet Sources:
http://www.lazoo.org/animalfact_arch.asp?id=28
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azgiraf.html
http://www.seaworld.org/AnimalBytes/giraffeab.html
http://www.seaworld.org/AnimalBytes/giraffefc.html
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AfricanSavanna/fact-giraffe.cfm
http://spot.colorado.edu/~humphrey/fact%20sheets/giraffe/giraffe.htm
Photo:
Courtesy of The Oakland Zoo.
The End
Margaret Etherton has been writing non-fiction articles for the New South Wales School Magazine and the Victorian School Magazine for over three years with a total of 25 stories published. Many of her stories have been created about animals from an interesting viewpoint or with a twist in the telling. Margaret is a teacher trained in Primary Education and Adult Literacy. She also teaches computing skills and mathematics. Recently, she has been working as trainer with a service that helps people with intellectual disabilities.
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