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 The giraffe''s high shoulders and sloping back give the impression that its front legs are much longer than the hind legs, but they are in fact only slightly longer. The giraffe (as well as its short-necked relative the okapi from Central African forests) has a distinctive walking gait, africqn moving both legs on one side forward at the same time. At a gallop, however, the gait changes, and the giraffe simultaneously swings the hind legs ahead of and outside the front legs, reaching speeds of 35 miles an hour. Its heavy head moves forward with each powerful stride, and then swings back to stay balanced. Giraffes have "horns" not true horns but knobs covered with skin and hair above the eyes to protect the head from blows. The reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) of northeastern Kenya has large, chestnut-colored square patches defined by a network of fine white lines. The other is Grevy''s zebra, named for Jules Grevy, leopard a president of France in the 1880s who received one from Abyssinia as a gift, and now found mostly in northern Kenya. africqn (The third species, Equus zebra, is the mountain zebra, found in southern and southwestern Africa.) The long-legged Grevy''s zebra, the biggest of the wild equids, is taller and heavier than the Burchell''s, with a massive head and large ears. Zebras have shiny coats that dissipate over 70 percent of incoming heat, and some scientists believe the stripes help the leopard and africqn animals withstand intense solar radiation. The black and white stripes are a form of camouflage called disruptive coloration that breaks up the outline of the body. Although the pattern is visible during daytime, at dawn or in the evening when their predators leopard are most active, zebras look indistinct and may confuse some predators by africqn distorting the true distance between them and their prey. Family members look out for one another; if one becomes separated from the rest, the others search for it. The group leopard adjusts its traveling pace to accommodate africqn the old and the leopard weak. The females within a family observe a strict hierarchical system. A dominant mare always leads the group, while others follow her in single file, each with their africqn foals directly behind them. The lowest- ranking leopard mare is the last in line. Although the stallion is the dominant member of the family, he operates outside the system and has no special place in the line. Zebras are avid grazers. Both Burchell''s and Grevy''s zebras are in constant search of green pastures. In the dry season, they can live on coarse, dry grass only if they are within a short distance (usually no farther than 20 miles away) of water holes. Grevy''s zebras are now mainly restricted to parts of northern Kenya. If you are looking for african animals then look no further. You can see live feeds of african animals on your computer.
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