Giraffe Kicks Lions To Defend Itself In the human world, we can get away with saying “Pick on someone your own size”, but in the animal world, it’s fair game. A single blow from the front hooves can kill or cripple a lion. In the RPG. Bulls tend to feed at full stretch with their heads tipped upwards. Many plants have impenetrable barriers, such as bark and waxy cuticles, or adaptations, such as thorns and spines, to protect … Besides the fact that giraffe is too big to tackle. Empower Her. They are the tallest animals on the planet, found in Africa in dry zones south of the Sahara Desert. © 2020 WILD SKY MEDIA. Guess These Medical Terms Correctly, Top 7 Astonishing International Christmas Traditions around the World, The Most Tragic Characters in TV Series History, 9 Most Daring Dresses That Have Been Worn to ACM Awards, 50 Interesting & Lesser Known Animal Facts, Everything You Need to Know about Blue Hen. Adult giraffes' size intimidates many potential predators, so younger giraffes are more vulnerable. Johnson also co-authored a series of communications publications for the U.S. Agency for International Development. They have the ability to completely close their nostrils to keep sand and dust out during African dust storms. How Good Is Your Spelling? Identify plant defense responses to pathogens. Giraffes may look very silent but they have powerful weapons like leg, neck, and horns to face any carnivores like a lion. Male giraffes stand about 18 feet tall, and females about 16 feet. Besides making a giraffe appear to predators too big to tackle, the animal's height, combined with its extremely acute long-range vision, enables it to detect predators from great distances. Lions may leave claw marks (scars) on a giraffe's hindquarters. Additionally, they target pregnant female giraffe as she can’t move swiftly. How does a giraffe defend itself? They use their tongues to remove parasites from their faces, too. Giraffes are docile herbivores, but defend themselves with their hooves if attacked. The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for discussion about giraffes, as well as animal adaptations and survival in the wild. A giraffe can defend itself with powerful kicks which can kill a predator when well-placed. Giraffes protect themselves from intruders with their legs. Their heights can frighten predators. When you’re as tall as a giraffe, you tend to stick out. Nature gave the giraffe several nonviolent characteristics that help it survive. This gives the giraffe an opportunity to run away before the predator … Giraffes also protect themselves and their calves by being observant. Giraffe’s height and vision play a vital role in their survival. You’d have to be one hungry lion to want to hunt a giraffe! giraffes image by Robert Ulph from Fotolia.com. Giraffe’s spots are similar to human fingerprints. Only a portion of attacks are fatal. Something interesting information about their vulnerability to predators relates to their feeding habits. A giraffe doesn’t kick out of aggression, of course, but only when frightened and attempting to defend itself. The giraffe’s long legs may look like poles, but they are actually very powerful. How Are the Long Necks of Giraffes Adapted to Their Lifestyle? The giraffe was given several nonviolent features that help nature survive by it. Giraffes become more vulnerable while drinking water because they have a long neck to bend while drinking. Giraffe Primary Resource ... defend themselves from predators and fight for dominance amongst each other. They defend themselves with horse-like forward kicks with their front legs. Female giraffes travel from one place to another along with young giraffes. Don’t let their lanky long legs fool you! These weapons can save them from death. These don’t grow very big and aren’t sharp, but they do protect their heads in the occasional headbutting that occur among males. If they eat leaves like acacia they can survive without water for a longer time. They also run at speed of 50 km/h for sustained periods. Giraffes Defend Themselves If a giraffe feels that it is under threat, it may decide that it needs to defend itself. From time to time, an adult giraffe is attacked by a leopard, but the lion is the only carnivore that stands a chance of defeating a healthy giraffe. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Giraffes live in woodlands and open plains. Nature gave the giraffe several nonviolent characteristics that help it survive. They protect themselves by kicking either with the fore or hind feet which are strong enough to kill a lion. And you may wonder how it can defend itself from other animals. But the giraffe's unique blotchy coloring camouflages the herbivore while it eats leaves off trees. The giraffe can actually swing it’s long neck really fast and hit an animal. Giraffes defend themselves by kicking towards the lion. Giraffe are quiet, but they can make a variety of sounds including grunts, hisses, coughs (by courting males), bellows (by females calling their young) and whistles. PART OF WILD SKY MEDIA | FAMILY & PARENTING, World Animal Foundation: Giraffe Fact Sheet. The giraffe (Giraffa) is an African artiodactyl mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant.It is traditionally considered to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies.However, the existence of up to eight extant giraffe species has been described, based upon research into the … This height works to the giraffes' advantage, allowing them to see long distances. They also fight with their neck because the neck is the most maneuverable weapon for them. The giraffe’s most powerful protective asset is a powerful kick it gives with its front feet, with a force strong enough to kill a lion. They are well-skilled in the form of self-defense. The giraffe’s height is important to its survival. Key Takeaways Key Points. Based in Central Texas, Karen S. Johnson is a marketing professional with more than 30 years' experience and specializes in business and equestrian topics. Zarafa The Giraffe. The acute eyesight of giraffes can spot predators at a distance so they can prepare to defend themselves … What Are the Special or Interesting Body Parts of Giraffes? They are the tallest animals on the planet, found in Africa in dry zones south of the Sahara Desert. Giraffe rest on their feet. They eat the leaves from the tops of trees. Evolution has made sure that its kick is strong enough to disable or kill a predator, which is why even the fiercest carnivores will generally only attack an adult giraffe if truly desperate, starving or plain stupid. If they sense any bit of danger, they’ll wait. Learning Objectives. As the tallest animals to cross this planet’s surface, giraffes are surprisingly vulnerable to predators. Are you curious to know how giraffes defend themselves? You’d have to be one hungry lion to want to hunt a giraffe! Test your knowledge on topics ranging from movies to history. They have very short sleep requirements, averaging only 1.9 hours per day. If frightened they may feel the need to defend themselves. Sabrina Corgatelli, a big-game hunter, appears on NBC Today to defend her recent trip to South Africa where she shot a giraffe. They protect themselves by kicking either with the fore or hind feet which are strong enough to kill a lion. Giraffes defend themselves against predators by kicking with either the fore or hind feet. Giraffe vision relies mainly on their height. Not only do giraffes have a powerful kick, they are fast and their speeds can reach up to 35 mph. This matters to the giraffe's survival in a way other than hydration: Because giraffes must position their bodies in positions of vulnerability when they drink, they don’t do it often. Aside from humans, crocodiles and lions are giraffe’s only predators. Giraffes can go days at a time without drinking water. Online Quiz website to test and understand your knowledge. Their height allows giraffes a continual visual contact while at great distances from their herd. Their large and heavy hooves can break the back of a lion. These are powerful animals, and a full grown giraffe can defend itself against most predators. The giraffe’s long legs may look like poles, but they are actually very powerful. Giraffes keep watch for attackers most of the day. Their long tongues are not only long enough to reach the leaves they need but are also very tough, allowing them to eat thorns as well. A giraffe defending itself from a pride of lions in the Kruger National Park makes for some riveting viewing. They have long legs as well as necks, and the unique way they run -- both legs on each side leave the ground at the same time -- gives giraffes an impressively long stride, allowing them to cover long distances quickly and without expending much energy. This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon. Its head resembles that of a giraffe, but it does not have the giraffe's long neck. For more information on the giraffe have a look at Giraffe: Part 2 where we talk about the scientific classification of giraffes, their distribution, habitat and social organisation. Their sharp tusks or pointed antlers can protect them when the predator’s attack. Adult giraffes' size intimidates many potential predators, so younger giraffes are more vulnerable. A giraffe can shatter a lion’s skull and break other bones in the lion’s body with a single kick. Facts About Migration Patterns for Giraffes. Giraffes get water from the moisture contained in the leaves they eat and by consuming several gallons at a time when they do drink. Giraffes defend themselves against predators by kicking with their long legs. If a predator can bring it down, no matter the size, they’ll go in for the kill. The giraffe’s most powerful protective asset is a powerful kick it gives with its front feet, with a force strong enough to kill a lion. Height and Vision Besides making a giraffe appear to predators too big to tackle, the creature's stature, along with its long range vision that is extremely acute, enables it to detect predators from great distances. Be Her Village. These are their primary and most powerful weapons that save them from death. Plants defend against pathogens with barriers, secondary metabolites, and antimicrobial compounds. Meanwhile, several species of birds provide a form of protection to giraffes by perching on them and picking at parasites that could potentially weaken and sicken giraffe hosts. Bill and Barbara Westbrook were visiting the Kicheche Bush Camp in Masai Mara, Kenya for the seventh time when they spotted a giraffe … Giraffes can eat hard plant food such as leaves. Giraffes are graceful herbivores with long necks. Some parasites also feed on giraffes. Giraffes are blessed with many non-violent characteristics that help them to survive. Giraffes typically have one or two horns on the tops of their heads. Shape The World. They have a long-range vision which helps to observe predators accurately. However, due to their size, giraffes do not hide from these predators. It could be used as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, … Giraffes defend themselves with front and rear kicks. Also, various species offer a form of protection to them. How to Tell if a Giraffe Is Male or Female, The Habitats of Giraffes, Lions & Elephants. Ticks are known to infest them, especially in the area around the genitals, which has thinner skin than other areas. Lions have been known to take down young or infirm giraffe. Giraffe populations have suffered a dramatic drop of 36-40% over the past 30 years and are considered as vulnerable to extinction. Those species sit on giraffes and pick parasites. The impact of a single kick in the head or a sensitive part of a predator is enough to kill it, but the experienced predators are extremely cautious, and therefore know the exact moment to attack. To drink, a giraffe must spread its front legs and lower its neck, putting itself in an exposed position that leaves it vulnerable to attack from predators like lions. Giraffes are the fastest runners and move so swiftly that it is difficult to hunt them. Did a Baboon Work as a Railroad Signalman. It can do this either with its legs or by pushing with its neck. In a fight, one giraffe can break another’s neck. Their sharp tusks or pointed antlers can protect them when the predator’s attack. Animals may also attack for food if they think the risk is worth the reward. Unless it is drinking or in some other vulnerable state, an alert and healthy adult giraffe is well-positioned to defend itself from most predators. Giraffes defend themselves by kicking towards the lion. The world's tallest land animal has lost 40 percent of its population in just 30 years, and recent reports show poaching and wildlife trafficking are contributing to this decline. How Many Inches Is an Adult Giraffe's Tongue? What they do is they gather in herds so that others can watch for predators. Giraffe corpses are skinnable. Perhaps the best-known giraffe celebrity in history is Zarafa, … The okapi is a member of the giraffe family with distinctive stripes on its legs. She holds a Bachelor of Science in speech from UT-Austin. Predation by lions on calves less than a year old may be intense. Females travel together, along with young giraffes, which are especially vulnerable. Joining Trivia sharp is free! By clicking “Sign Up" you are agreeing to our privacy policy. This is exactly the case when a pride of lions try and take down a huge giraffe. So predators mostly hunt the young and weak giraffes first. Giraffe tails are highly prized by many African cultures and are used in good-luck bracelets, fly whisks, and even thread for sewing or stringing beads. To defend themselves or to escape, giraffe can kick with … Even lions only dare attack them when in a large group – and even that doesn’t occur often. A single kick from a giraffe on the head or sensitive part can kill any predator. In order to defend itself, it can actually knock even big cats out so they become unconscious for a while. A giraffe can shatter a lion’s skull and break other bones in the lion’s body with a single kick. Her articles have appeared in several trade and business publications such as the Houston Chronicle. Are you curious to know how giraffes defend themselves?