BEHAVIOR & ECOLOGY

(Apfelbach, 1990; Coe, 1967; Estes, 1991; Leggett et al., 2001; Guggisberg 1969; Innis, 1958; Le Pendu
et al., 2000; Leuthold & Leuthold, 1978)

Activity Cycle

Active during the day and night.

Daytime: Most active during the early and late hours of the day. The hottest part of the day is
often spent resting and ruminating. In Transvaal, September - December, 55-83 % of the day (6
AM - 6 PM) was spent browsing (Innis, 1958).

Night: During the night most time is spent ruminating (40-49%) and feeding (22-34%). The rest
of the time is spent resting/sleeping. More active on nights with bright moonshine (Estes, 1991).

Sleep:
o

Bouts of sleep during the day and night usually last no more than a couple of hours at
a time.

Sleep is usually shallow, with ears twitching and eyes half open.

During the shallow sleep, a deeper sleep may be reached but typically only lasts for 510 minutes at a time.

Will lie down during part of the night, but most of the time sleep standing up.

Social Groups
General

Social, unlike okapi which are fairly solitary, but do not tend to form long lasting bonds.

Loose herds of up to about 50 individuals. Group size usually much smaller. No leader, and little
coordination among individuals. May be spread out over large distances. Composition of
individuals changes constantly, even within a 24 hour period.

Because of well developed eyesight and high vantage point, able to stay in communication with
one another even if physically very far apart.

Females are very social when not guarding a newborn and are usually found in congregations
of other females and young. Young females often stay in their natal areas.

Sub adult males tend to be part of a bachelor herd, and usually leave their natal area. Adult
males become more solitary.

Although there is sometimes a segregation between sexes, herds can be composed of any
combination of males, females, young, and adults.

Hierarchy

Dominance hierarchy among males in local populations.

See Aggression and Displays.

Territory

Non-territorial

Home range

Average home ranges; some examples from Kenya:

o

El Karama Ranch, 14 km2 (5 mi2).

Nairobi National Park, 73.5 km2 (28 mi2).

Tsavo National Park, Kenya 164 km2 (63 mi2).

Varies tremendously among individuals and between wet and dry season, from 5 to 654 km 2 (2 252.5 mi2).

Much more constricted and concentrated near water during the dry season.

High level of overlap between individuals (both males and females).

Aggression

Males use horns and heavily ossified skulls during aggressive

encounters with one another. Head slams into neck and body of another individual, like a club.

Less intense encounters between males include mutual neck and head rubbing (="necking"),
and leaning into one another, possibly to assess strength and weight of opponent.

Once dominance has been established, the two combatants often coexists peacefully after a
fight. The victor does not chase the loser out of the area.

Play

Young calves can be very playful, jumping and running near the mother.

Calves do not tend to chase each other.

Older, immature males play-fight with one another.

Communication

Displays
o

Dominance: Erect with straight neck and head held high, stretch neck out at angle
with chin up, stiff legged approach. Often, dominance challenge is won by the
individual who stands the tallest.

Submissive: Head and ears held downward, retreat.

Visual Signs
o

Much more important than in Okapi, which rely more on scent and hearing.

This is exemplified by a giraffe's large eyes and preference for open savannahs, as
opposed to closed forests.

Vocalization
o

Although they do possess vocal chords, giraffes vocalize much less than okapi.

Types of vocalizations that have been reported:

Alarm snort

Bleating or mewing by calves

"Roaring bellow" by females looking for their young

"Raucous cough" by males during courtship

Also moaning, snoring, hissing, and flutelike sounds.

Olfaction/Scent Marking
o

Unlike okapi, do not have scent glands on hooves.

Depend on vision more than sense of smell for awareness of environment.

Males sniff females to determine reproductive status.

Mature males emit strong body odor.

Locomotion

Walking: Unlike most other animals, use the two right limbs together, then the two left,
alternating right and left. Otherwise, the long front legs would tangle with the hind legs. Camels
walk this way.

Galloping: Use front legs together, then back, alternating between front and back. Hind feet
stay outside of the forelegs, so there is no contact. Rabbits run this way. Can run up to 60 km/hr
(37 mi/hr).

Jumping: Able to jump over cattle fences.

Interspecies Interaction

Predator defenses:
o

Adults: large size, good vision, fast runners, powerful kickers.

Calves are most vulnerable, and use camouflage as most effective defense.

Calves grow very fast their first couple of years (double in size), making them less
vulnerable to predation.

Often seen foraging with other species, such as zebras, antelope, and ostriches. Giraffes may
act as sentinels for the other animals due to their height and ability to see danger from far away.
An alarm reaction by a giraffe quickly spreads to the other species.

Oxpecker birds climb all over giraffes, picking off ticks and other ectoparasites. Their shrill alarm
call serves as a warning to other animals nearby when danger approaches, but it is likely that
giraffes do not need to take advantage of this benefit.

Piapiacs and cattle egrets take advantage of insects that are stirred up in the wake of a walking
giraffe.