Why do giraffes have such long necks?

Nature-Motion 2022-07-18

Views 4.2K

Giraffes have incredibly long necks that can grow up to 6'5 high!
This feature has intrigued researchers for a very long time (and still does).
So how do you explain it?
Originally, giraffes probably did not have such long necks.
According to the principle of natural selection of Charles Darwin, some giraffes had to have a neck larger than normal.
This gave them an advantage because they were able to feed more easily (at tree height).
They therefore lived longer and by reproducing, they gave birth to baby giraffes with long necks.
This is how the giraffes with small necks would have gradually disappeared and that giraffes with long necks would have become the norm.
This would be the result of a very long evolution in time.
But this might not be the only be the only explanation!
According to a recent study, the elongation of their necks could be due to competition with their fellow species for their sexual partners.
Indeed, males use their neck to fight when they want to conquer the same female.
However, the authors of the research were unable to explain why the females also had such long necks.
In any case, scientists are unanimous: there are a multitude of factors related to evolution.

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