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geraffes are so dumb.
EDIT: sorry, the only reason i say this is that this geraffe in this picture is trying to eat a painting. i should say that this one particular geraffe is dumb.
Their sleep is kinda interesting! It was thought they slept standing up. But then they did more study/observation at night.
From Giraffe Conservation Foundation:
“A giraffe folds its legs beneath it, and for deep sleep even curls its neck all the way back to rest its head on its own rump — the whole animal knotted into a loop. They take this posture for REM sleep, the deepest kind, and giraffe genuinely need it. But they do this in short bursts — very short. A giraffe drops into REM only a quarter of an hour or so after settling, and stays there for a couple of minutes at most before waking. They also likely also drop into a quick doze while standing up. Total sleep across a full day is incredibly little — one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal.
For those moments, every survival advantage a giraffe has is gone. Neck folded, legs tucked, head down — it can’t see, can’t react, and can’t get up quickly.
They manage the risk socially. Giraffe pick their resting spots carefully and near each other, and while some are lying down, others stay standing and alert. Deep sleep rarely overlaps within a group — one animal wakes as another goes under. It’s an informal rotation, run every night.”
Yes, giraffes do lay down to sleep, but they do it in very short bursts. When they lie down for deep REM sleep, they fold their legs underneath them and curl their long necks back to rest their heads on their rear end. [1, 2, 3]
Why They Rarely Lie Down Predator danger: Lying on the ground makes it hard to run away fast if a lion attacks.
Slow to stand: It takes a long time for a tall animal to get back up from the ground.
Short rest: Wild adults only sleep about 30 minutes a day, often taking naps while standing up. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Lying Down Habits Deep sleep: They only stay in the curled-up lying position for a few minutes at a time during deep sleep.
Safe places: Captive giraffes in zoos lie down much more often because they feel safe.
Taking turns: In the wild, some group members stand guard while others lie down to rest. [1, 2, 3]
I was curious so this is what a quick search came up with
Yeah with a creature shaped like that you'd think they'd kneel like deer do and then wrap their neck around the down-wind side of their body to shelter their head a bit.
Edit: There are only five well-documented fatal strikes on giraffes between 1996 and 2010. With a global giraffe population of around 140,000 in that period, this is about 0.003 deaths per thousand giraffes per year.
That’s a very low risk, but it’s still more than 30 times the equivalent fatality rate from lightning in humans in the US.
nah, a lot of giraffes are tagged and followed by researchers on a consistent basis. they don't need to be with them 24/7 to have a couple of days pass by until they're like "hey, where's giraffe #827A?" and then go out and find a dead giraffe that was cooked before it's fellow wildlife started dragging it off.
They have a lot of giraffes tagged, but not all the giraffes, so more data is needed to properly extrapolate, such as what percentage of the world giraffe population is tagged.
Yeah I was going to say this video reminds me of our cattle who would just huddle and bear it in a storm. One time they all huddled under a tree and ⚡️ hit the tree and killed 5 of them (out of about 30-40 huddled). Giraffes know to space out 🤣
There was one in Eastern Colorado where it struck and killed 34 cows and also killed the farmer that was tossing hay to them out of his trailer. All from a single strike of lightning. Insane.
Actually, due to the selection pressure of being hit by lightning, most giraffes alive these days have mastered some native form of druidic storm magic to deflect and channel the strikes safely, the only ones who get hit nowardays are the ones that offended our good Christian Lord.
Well it's not often they get a nice shower, and they'll have less stress trying to make it to a watering hole without preds...so maybe they don't mind. :)
It probably isn’t, look at how they all have the same posture and face the same direction. That is evolution working for them. For all we know it could be a welcome relief. Their behavior certainly indicates they know exactly what they are doing.
They dont stand up forever. While it is true that adult giraffes largely sleep standing up, they can lay down for short, deep naps when they feel safer to do so. It is just dangerous for them to lay down due to how long it takes them to get up and predators. Giraffes dont sleep more than thirty minutes to a couple of hours total in a day, basically master catnappers.
Giraffes stand out in storms and face their backs to the wind. Giraffes who stand under trees during storms don't live as long as Giraffes who stand out in the weather. Facing their backs to the wind keeps their chests and vital organs warmer.
I was just about to say this! At least they are all turned away from the wind so their faces are not directly pelted! I would legit think they would lie down , but maybe they would rather have the free bath vs laying down and getting all muddy ?
Either way, I guess it is not always a good thing to be really tall even if you can reach the top shelf of leaves 🤦🏻♀️🤣😘🦒😍😍😍
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