TEXT-BOOK OF ZOOLOGY 



Family 3: Giraffes (Devexa). 



The Giraffe (Camelopardalis giraffa). 



(Height at shoulders about 10 feet.) 



The home of this peculiar animal is on the plains of Central and 

 Southern Africa. The neck is of extraordinary length, and supports 

 a small head at a height of from 17 to 20 

 feet above the ground. It is, accordingly, 

 provided with large and powerful muscles, 

 which are attached principally to the much- 

 elongated spinous processes of the anterior 

 dorsal vertebrae. 



On account of the length of these processes, 

 the body displays a very steep slope behind. 

 Although the length of the neck corresponds 

 to that of the tall fore-legs, the animal is 

 obliged to spread the fore-legs wide apart in 

 order to be able to pick up food from the 

 ground or to quench its thirst at the bank of 

 a river or lake. For this reason it feeds more 

 especially on the branches and leaves of 

 trees, which it strips off with the long 



GIRAFFES IN A MIMOSA GROVE. 

 (The animal standing erect in the foreground about one-sixtieth natural size.) 



vermiform tongue. From its peculiar shape and colour (pale yellow, 

 with numerous brown spots), one might suppose that the animal would 



