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Giraffes

helors" - young and mature males. Bulls, particularly older ones, and some females, live alone. Males in the prime of life wander far and wide in search of a mate. Giraffes graze together with other species including ostriches, zebras, buffalo and antelope.

Courtship: Giraffes are sexually mature when they reach three to four years of age. Females mature somewhat earlier than males. A sexually mature cow comes in heat every 12 to 15 days, and giraffes breed throughout the year. A male giraffe, on joining a herd, flehmens (sniffs) the urine of females, which he induces by pushing his nose against the cow's hindquarters, or licking and nibbling her tail. This may or may not be tolerated by the dominant bull of the herd. A bull closely follows a cow in heat and when she stops, the bull raises a foreleg and taps it against the cow's hindleg. If she does not move away, the bull attempts mounting. He may also test the cow's readiness to mate by resting his head against her flank. A bull often follows a cow for hours before successfully mating with her. Mating is brief, but repeated a number of times within a period of several hours.

Sexual behavior: monogamous polygamous x promiscuous

Giraffes are nonterritorial and sociable. At a given moment, a particular giraffe may be in a herd composed of all males, all females, females and young, or of both sexes and all ages. The fluid nature of the herds leads to a lack of familial bonds and very little competition in mating, although bulls may sometimes fight over a cow in heat. Younger bulls do not exhibit flehming behavior when a superior is present.

Parenting and care of young: Young giraffes are tended by their mother and male giraffes pay absolutely no attention to their offspring. Though they defend their calves vigorously against predators, female giraffes are not ideal mothers. They often leave their calves for long periods of time, even days, to ...

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Giraffes. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 03:46, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1681638.html