Giraffes are friendly animals by nature. Wild giraffes live in herds and spend their time traveling, eating, and resting together. Ironically, a group of giraffes is called a tower! Not only do they enjoy being surrounded by other giraffes, they often enjoy the humans as well.
“ Visitors can feel a giraffe's tongue brush their palm, but they can't touch the animals. “Giraffes don't like to be touched.” Cannon said. “But as long as you have food, they're your best friend.”
In addition to being Earth's tallest land animals, giraffes are also affectionately referred to as "gentle giants!" A mother giraffe, in particular, is incredibly affectionate and protective, and will frequently touch and lick her calf. What is so unique about giraffes?
There is more and more research showing that a number of animals including but not limited to whales, killer whales, chimpanzees, and elephants show signs of grieving, with new discoveries, apparently, so do giraffes. Everything within mammals' lives is driven by hormones, and so are emotions.
So, if you are getting stared at by a giraffe, or more likely a herd of giraffes, it is probably because they see you as a threat. Staring is a way for giraffes to warn predators away from young calves or to warn other giraffes in the herd that they are in danger.
Some may dislike hugs more strongly than others, and some may actually adore them. The closest thing our furry family members do to a hug is something referred to as 'standing over'. As primates, we are wired to express affection through hugging. Even chimps do it!
Giraffes are one of nature's gentle giants. The tallest mammals on Earth which they can run as fast as 35 miles an hour over short distances, giraffes are smart, loyal and social animals with an excellent eyesight!
Physically, giraffes are quiet, extremely tall, have excellent eyesight and are considered very intelligent. The intelligence of giraffes is a factor in how quickly they adapt behaviourally in response to changing external stimuli.
Do giraffes mate for life? No, males and females usually associate with each other in loose social groups. When she is receptive, the female will allow a particular male to mate with her. She does not necessarily always choose the same one.
For the perfect giraffe kiss:
Expect a Sloppy kiss and don't worry about the slobber! Giraffe saliva has antiseptic properties to protect it from spiky acacia thorns.
Giraffes press their necks together when they are attracted to each other. Gorillas stick out their tongues to show anger. Horses rub noses as a sign of affection.
Mother giraffes may nuzzle and stroke their calves to show affection or for training the calf in where to find food or avoid danger. Another occasion when giraffes touch one another is in a ritual called "necking." This is a form of sparring between male giraffes.
After aggressive "necking", it is common for two male giraffes to caress and court each other, leading up to mounting and climax. Such interactions between males have been found to be more frequent than heterosexual coupling. In one study, up to 94% of observed mounting incidents took place between two males.
Giraffes may fight by slamming their long necks and heads into each other. The contests usually conclude peacefully when one animal gives up and walks away. They look like they're clever creatures. But their short-term memory spans only a few seconds.
For the most part, giraffes tend to sleep during the night, although they do get in some quick naps throughout the day. Giraffes can sleep standing up as well as lying down, and their sleep cycles are quite short, lasting 35 minutes or shorter. Elephants are another animal that sleep very little.
CHIMPANZEES. RECKONED to be the most-intelligent animals on the planet, chimps can manipulate the environment and their surroundings to help themselves and their community. They can work out how to use things as tools to get things done faster, and they have outsmarted people many a time.
1: Chimpanzee
Chimpanzees can learn sign language to communicate with humans. Topping our list of smartest animals is another great ape, the chimpanzee. The impressive intellectual abilities of this animal have long fascinated humans.
Dogs really are one of the best animals for humans. Loyal and sensitive to human emotions, dogs have gotten along with people throughout history. Canines were one of the first species domesticated by homo sapiens and still play significant roles in our public and personal lives.
The Giraffe's biggest enemy is the lion, followed by crocodiles and humans. The Giraffe's coat patterns are unique to each individual, similar to 6ingerprints in humans with males usually having darker coats. Their main defence is their size, speed and a massive front hoof that can kill a lion with a single blow.
#1 Dogs. First on our list of the top 10 friendliest animals in the world is man's best friend – dogs.
The female red-sided garter snake, a species native to Manitoba, Canada, has no shortage of potential lovers. According to Christopher Friesen at the University of Wollongong in Australia, anywhere from 10 to 30 attentive males may pursue her at once, literally enveloping her with their love.
These behaviours are so diverse, from dogs sniffing and licking potential mates, to elephants putting their trunks in each other's mouths. However, one animal kisses just like we do: the bonobo ape. This isn't too surprising, considering we share 98.7 per cent of our DNA with this hairy cousin.
According to Animal Behaviorists, 'dogs don't understand human kisses the same way that humans do. ' When kissing a young puppy, you may not notice any signs of recognition at all because they have yet to associate kisses with affection.
A healthy giraffe gestation can last from 14 to 16 months. Bailey's last pregnancy was one day shy of 15 months (457 days) long.