Maasai giraffe
| Maasai giraffe | ||||||||||||
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Maasai giraffe in Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Giraffa tippelskirchi | ||||||||||||
| Matschie , 1898 |
According to the latest findings, the Maasai giraffe ( Giraffa tippelskirchi ) is an independent species within the genus of the giraffes ( Giraffa ) of the giraffe-like family (Giraffidae).
features
Males grow up to 6 meters high and reach a shoulder height of up to 3.5 meters. The females are usually a bit smaller and lighter. The pattern of the coat consists of dark spots that stand out against the lighter basic color. The spots serve to give off heat. In the subcutaneous tissue, a ring-shaped artery runs around each spot, sending branches into the spot. With a stronger blood circulation, the giraffe can give off more heat and is not dependent on shade.
With the Maasai and reticulated giraffes , each individual has its own characteristic coat pattern, which distinguishes it from all other conspecifics. The Maasai giraffe has particularly widely spaced and frayed star spots. The spots have severely divided edges. The notched fields are partly reminiscent of vine leaves (the giraffe is therefore also called the vine leaf giraffe ). The color of the spots ranges from light brown to almost black.
distribution
The species is native to southeast Africa in the grass steppes and bush savannahs in southern Kenya and Tanzania .
nutrition
The giraffes feed on leaves, buds, shoots and grasses as well as salty and mineral-rich soil. They prefer to graze tree tops. The animals grab a twig with their tongue, pull it into their mouth and pull the leaves off by pulling their heads back.
Zoo keeping
The Maasai giraffe was the dominant species in zoos in German-speaking countries until the middle of the 20th century. In 1969 it was held in Basel, Berlin Zoo, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Leipzig and Munich. This has changed in the last 50 years. At the end of 2009, only Maasai giraffes were kept in Basel Zoo . In 2011, this last keeping in Central Europe also ended with the transfer of the remaining animals to the Faruk Yalcin Zoo in Turkey. This means that Maasai giraffes can currently be seen in just one zoo in the entire EAZA area.
Picture gallery
head
Fur drawing
hoof
Females with young animals
literature
- David Macdonald: The Great Encyclopedia of Mammals. Ullmann / Tandem, 2003, ISBN 3833110066 .
- Wolfgang Puschmann: Zoo animal husbandry - mammals. 4th edition, Harri Deutsch, 2004, ISBN 3817116209 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Julian Fennessy, Tobias Bidon, Friederike Reuss, Vikas Kumar, Paul Elkan, Maria A. Nilsson, Melita Vamberger, Uwe Fritz and Axel Janke, (2016): Multi-locus Analyzes Reveal Four Giraffe Species Instead of One in Current Biology, accessed on September 8, 2016.
- ↑ Wolfgang Puschmann: Zoo animal husbandry - mammals. Massaigiraffe, p. 687.
- ↑ Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare eV - keeping and demonstrating giraffes (PDF) ( Memento of the original from October 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Zoodirektoren.de - Giraffe accessed on January 2, 2010
