The Role of a Giraffe's Tail and an Introduction to Its Subspecies
The giraffe, also known as the qilin, qilin deer, or long-necked deer, is a ruminant even-toed ungulate that lives in Africa, and is the tallest living land animal in the world, reaching six to eight meters when standing; even a newborn calf is one and a half meters tall. A giraffe's tongue is very long, which helps it take in food, and it feeds mainly on leaves and small twigs. Let's take a look below at what role a giraffe's tail plays and which subspecies there are.
1. What role does a giraffe's tail play?
A giraffe's tail serves to maintain body balance. A giraffe's tail is short and small, with a black tuft of hair at the tip, and compared with the length of their body, the tail looks relatively short. Because giraffes move slowly, they do not need a very long tail to balance their body during rapid movement, so the proportion of the tail is relatively small.
A giraffe's tail can also convey information and is a tool for passing on warnings. When it encounters an enemy, a giraffe will raise its tail high, meaning it is telling its companions that there is danger here, not to come close, and that they must leave at once.
2. What subspecies of giraffe are there?
1. Angolan giraffe
The Angolan giraffe, also known as the Angolan giraffe or smoky giraffe, lives in the savanna regions of Africa, such as Angola, the Cunene River, Zambia, and northern Namibia. The Angolan giraffe is a herbivore that feeds mainly on leaves and small twigs.
The population trend of the Angolan giraffe is stable, so it has been assessed as a species with no survival crisis.
2. Kordofan giraffe
The coat color and pattern of the Kordofan giraffe include spotted and reticulated types, with smaller, more irregular spots that cover the inner side of the legs. The Kordofan giraffe is mainly distributed in western and southwestern Sudan and Kordofan.
3. Nubian giraffe
In the Nubian giraffe, both males and females have a pair of small short horns on top of the head covered with skin and downy hair, with a light brown base color, and these are never shed throughout their lives.
4. West African giraffe
The coat of the West African giraffe has pale yellow spots, and it is distributed at the confluence of the Niger River and the Benue River, in Nigeria, and in Chad.
5. Somali giraffe
The Somali giraffe has large, polygonal brown spots set off by bright white reticulation. The spots are sometimes dark red and can extend to the feet, and it is the most common giraffe in zoos. The Somali giraffe lives in arid and open savanna regions, inhabiting tropical savannas, woodlands, and seasonal floodplains.
6. Ugandan giraffe
The Ugandan giraffe, also known as the Uganda giraffe, Rothschild's giraffe, Baringo giraffe, or Baringo giraffe, has dark brown rectangular coat spots with blurred reticulation, and the lower limbs are sometimes spotted. The Ugandan giraffe is mainly distributed in Uganda, north-central Kenya, and western Ethiopia.