THE TALLEST MAMMAL 337 



FAMILY CAMELOPARDALID^E (GIRAFFES). 



GIRAFFE (Giraffa camelopardalis). 



Coloured Plate XXIII. 



The Giraffes are a most singular group of African 

 ruminants, which appear to occupy a place between the 

 Hollow-horned Ruminants and the Deer. A noted Swiss 

 naturalist, in fact, described the animals as ' a most fantastic 

 form of Deer.' The family name arises from their form and 

 coloured spots suggesting some resemblance to the camel 

 and leopard respectively. One writer says that ' a careful 

 study of its features will discover in the Giraffe a likeness to 

 the camel, the ox, the deer, the antelope, the goat, and the 

 ostrich.' The name Giraffe is a corruption of the Arabic 

 Zaraffa (or Seraph), the literal meaning of which is 'graceful.' 



There are at least two species of the Giraffes. The 

 Southern or Cape species ranges from Bechuanaland to 

 British East Africa and the Soudan ; the Nubian or 

 Northern species is found in the Somaliland region and 

 between Abyssinia and the Nile. There are quite ten 

 varieties. 



The Giraffe is the tallest of all known mammals, the males 

 attaining a height of as much as nineteen or twenty feet, 

 while the females range from thirteen to sixteen feet. The 

 short, deep body is raised on slender, elongated limbs, the 

 greater elevation of the withers giving the fore legs the 

 appearance of much greater length than the hind ones, a 

 difference that is decidedly more apparent than real. On 

 the chest and knees are pads of thick, hard skin to protect 

 the animal from abrasions when resting upon rough ground. 



The head, splendidly poised at the extremity of the 

 long, tapering neck, is elegantly moulded and ends in a 

 singularly narrow muzzle with a well-formed mouth. The 

 upper lip is long and prehensile. The eyes, soft and gentle 

 in expression, are large and prominent, affording a specially 

 wide outlook on every side. The ears are large and pointed, 

 and the large nostril slits can be closed at will. 



The head of the Giraffe, in both sexes, is furnished with 



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