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abbruzzese.17

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticulated_giraffe

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I believe information should be added on how long it took giraffes to evolve to have long necks and how tall they actually are under the Neck category. It should also talk about the costs of having such a long neck. Besides the long necks for fighting for females, there should be info on their horns and how thick their skulls are. Abbruzzese.17

To help win over the female, the males use their ossicones on the top of their head, like a ram, and they are quite capable of breaking their opponents bones.[6]

Marshall, M. (2010). October 1, 2014. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19135-zoologger-how-did-the-giraffe-get-its-long-neck.html#.VCwoKvldXC8

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticulated_giraffe

In order for giraffes to have developed into having long necks, it would have had to take several life generations. There is no possible way for an animal to form an adaptation in one lifetime. Though this huge adaptation looks very complex, it really isn't. There are only seven vertebrae in a giraffe’s neck. Millions of years before, the trait of a long neck was just a genetic mutation that eventually created a new species. At this time though; these animals were just plain old antelopes.

It is thought that their necks have grown this long for eating at the very top of trees. Through many studies, this thought was proven wrong. Research was conducted and proves that giraffes eat from shoulder height. They eat the leaves of the Acacia tree. These trees are really tall; therefore, the giraffe is really only able to reach the branches at shoulder height.[6] Giraffe's also use this elongated body part to attract mates through a process called necking.[7] Another advantage of a long neck, though not the primary reason for the adaptation, is that they are able to see predators from far across the savanna where the shorter grazers will not be able to see over the tall brush.[8]

Being extraordinarily tall makes drinking water a much harder activity than it should be. Because of them not being able to drink water without having to spread their front legs far apart, they have adapted another way in order to not need to consume near as much water as smaller animals.

Since the long neck of a giraffe was an evolutionary adaptation, it can be concluded that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. There will always be negative affects to adaptations, but if they will overall benefit the species, those animals with the mutation have a higher chance of living longer in order to pass on the genes to their offspring.

FINAL DRAFT STARTS HERE
There are hundreds of thousands of herbivore species in the world, thousands in Africa alone. Each one has a very distinct feature about them to distinguish them from others; this feature, or features, are what makes all these species of animals unique. There is only one species with a neck length ranging from 6’ to 7’ long. This amazing four legged, hoofed animal, has been traveling around the savannahs of Africa for hundreds of years. This animal is the giraffe. Giraffes have evolved from a shorter height over the years for numerous reasons. Though these reasons are beneficial for the animal, there are some negative affects it has as well, as there are with most evolutionary adaptations. Many of these changes happen due to mutations in DNA when the body is developing. If the mutation hurts the daily life of the animal, they die off. If it is beneficial, that animal will live to reproduce and could pass on those genes to their offspring. This mutation will become normal and these animals will survive by survival of the fittest. There have been many studies on why giraffes have evolved to gain such a long neck. Some of these studies have been proven right, others have been proven wrong. This paper will review a few of these studies and provide evidence for why they were found significant or not. In the end, giraffe’s long necks developed over the past several thousand years. This kind of change is known as evolution by natural selection, otherwise known as, survival of the fittest. In order for giraffes to have developed into having long necks, it would have had to take several life generations. There is no possible way for an animal to form an adaptation in one lifetime. Some adaptations that occur are not beneficial to the animal or could be harmful to the animal, in which that individual will die off, not being able to reproduce in order to pass on his or her genes with this adaptation. In other words, the adaptation of long necks in giraffes didn’t happen in one giraffe lifetime, but has evolved through a large population of giraffes (Herbert, 2013). Though this huge adaptation looks very complex, it really isn’t. There are only seven vertebrae in a giraffe’s neck. That is the same amount of vertebrae in a human’s neck. Shockingly enough, the closest relative of the giraffe doesn’t have a long neck, but a tongue the same length, is the okapi. They are known as the forest giraffes (Wildlife Conservation Society, 2014). Okapi’s don’t need the long neck since they live in the forest, where they have endless amounts of trees and grasses around them to eat off of. Though their outside appearance doesn’t look anything close to being a relative of the giraffe, there are many significant similarities between the two species. Around one million years ago is when giraffes were noticed as a separate species. Millions of years before, the trait of a long neck was just a genetic mutation that eventually created a new species. At this time though; these animals were just plain old antelopes. Some of which had a longer neck than others, but wasn’t anything special at the time. Giraffes are now known as the tallest living animal in the world. They stand about 4 to 4.5 meters tall. Almost half of their body consists of that lengthy neck (Marshall, 2010). It is thought that their necks have grown this long for eating at the very top of trees. Through many studies, this thought was proven wrong. As it may seem that evolving to have a long neck is for eating purposes, there are many other reasons for this adaptation. The benefits would have had to outweigh the odds in order for this to happen. Charles Darwin had come up with the hypothesis and conclusion that giraffes evolved elongated necks for feeding purposes. In the dry seasons, when the leaves became scarce, giraffes would have no issue finding food. They would just eat from the top of the trees they came across since they are taller than their competitors giving them the ability to reach the leaves at the top of trees. Because this could happen, that is why the antelopes with longer necks evolved to develop even longer necks, soon becoming its own species (Simmons, 1996). This makes perfect sense. There is a much smaller chance they will go into starvation this way. But, this is not completely true. Simmons has done research that states giraffes eat from shoulder height. They eat the leaves of the Acacia tree. These trees are really tall, therefore, the giraffe is really only able to reach the branches at shoulder height (Giraffe Conservation Foundation, 2014). The study Simmons conducted didn’t say giraffes don’t eat from the top of trees, it is just less likely. Though it is very rare for someone to see a giraffe eating grass in the savanna, this happens too. As being able to reach taller trees for feeding is a great advantage of having a long neck, giraffe also use this elongated body part to attract mates. Male giraffes will fight each other for mates and also for territory through a process called necking. The males will stand side by side, trying to push each other off balance, while swinging their 6 foot necks at each other and jabbing their horns into each other as well (Emma, 2013). By doing this, they are very easily able to break each other’s bones (Marshall, 2010). While doing this, most research has shown that they are not fighting to kill one another, but just wanting to win over what they are fighting for. So in the end, which ever male giraffe is left standing or doesn’t forfeit first, will win over the female for mating, or will win the territory. Besides being able to reach tall trees and using their long necks for necking, there is another positive to having such a long neck. They are able to see predators from far across the savanna where the shorter grazers will not be able to see over the tall brush (National Geographic, 2014). Though this is not a reason for adapting this large feature, it is a great aspect that many other species do not have. Giraffe are able to spot predators from very far distances, which then they could alert others to move to a new location. Also, because of their large bodies, if a predator attacks, they have the ability to fight off a lion or cheetah, even possibly killing them. As stated earlier, most evolutionary changes are caused by mutations. Not all mutations are good, causing those individuals to die and not pass on their genes through the process of natural selection. The individuals that have those mutations that are beneficial to the animal’s well-being, have a greater chance of living long enough to be able to reproduce and pass on their new genes. Though the adaptation that arises from the mutation might be beneficial, there will always be negatives to them as well. The adaptation of the giraffe’s long necks are great and solve many problems they had encountered in the past, but there are some disadvantages to it as well. Being extraordinarily tall makes drinking water a much harder activity than it should be. Because of them not being able to drink water without having to spread their front legs far apart, they have adapted another way in order to not need to consume near as much water as smaller animals. Giraffes are able to go without water for weeks, and even months if need be. It has been found that they drink on average, about two gallons of water a week (McCarthy). All of the benefits of having a long neck outweighed the disadvantages, including not being able to drink much water. But because of this, in the process of growing to have a long neck, they had to adapt to those disadvantages too. Just because an adaptation is beneficial, that doesn’t mean it’s an easy change to make. Based on all the evidence found throughout the research on the evolution of the giraffe neck, it can be concluded that there are two primary reasons for it. The length will allow these majestic creatures of the savanna to graze on trees that stand 18-20 feet tall. Not necessarily for the purpose of eating at the top of the trees, but if that is all the food that is left, they will have no problem reaching those leaves. The neck is also a good evolutionary adaptation for sexual selection. These animals fight each other by necking, throwing their bull heads into each other until the weaker one falls over, or more likely, forfeits the fight. There are many other benefits the elongated neck gives a giraffe, as there are also a few disadvantages to it, such as not being able to drink as much water as when they stood lower towards the ground. Since it was an evolutionary adaptation, it can be concluded that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. There will always be negative affects to adaptations, but if they will overall benefit the species, those animals with the mutation have a higher chance of living longer in order to pass on the genes to their offspring. Over millions of years, those mutations will be known as a normal gene when a new species arises through the process of evolution through natural selection. References Emma, Mrs. "Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks? |." The Londolozi Cubs Den Blog Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks Comments. N.p., 2 Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. . Giraffe Conservation Foundation. "Giraffe - The Facts." FAQs. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. . Herbert, Wray. "Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks?" Association for Psychological Science RSS. N.p., 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. . Marshall, Michael. "Zoologger: How Did the Giraffe Get Its Long Neck?" - Life. N.p., 7 July 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. . McCarthy, Eugene M. "What Do Giraffes Eat? - Online Biology Dictionary." What Do Giraffes Eat? - Online Biology Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. . National Geographic. "Giraffes, Giraffe Pictures, Giraffe Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. . Simmons, Robert E., and Lue Scheepers. "Winning by a Neck: Sexual Selection in the Evolution of Giraffe." The American Naturalist 148.5 (1996): 771-86. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. Wildlife Conservation Society. "Okapi." - Saving Wildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. .