Why do giraffes have such a long neck? Scientists come to a surprising conclusion!

It was long thought that competition for food led to the giraffe’s long neck. But new research now suggests things are quite different.

The giraffe is quite a remarkable animal, particularly due to its impressive length. For example, the average giraffe is between 4.5 and 5 meters long, partly made possible by its neck, which provides at least 2 meters extra length. The big question is of course: why does the giraffe have such a long neck? In a new study researchers come to a surprising conclusion.

Food

The distinctively long neck of today’s giraffe — the tallest land animal and largest ruminant on Earth — has long been considered a classic example of adaptive evolution. The prevailing theory is that competition for food led to the giraffe’s long neck. Unlike the giraffe’s smaller competitors, the animal can easily eat the leaves from the tops of the tallest trees. Ideal.

weapon

But is that the real reason? In South Africa, most giraffes do indeed get their food from trees, but in other places in Africa the situation is different. And so scientists have already suggested another possibility. Thus, researchers began to realize that giraffes’ elegant, long necks actually serve as a weapon. Male giraffes fight each other over the females by swinging their two to three meters long, swinging necks against the weak parts of competitors. A long and strong neck is of course a bonus in such a process; because the longer the neck, the more you can hurt the other.

These two theories have long been fighting for recognition within the scientific world. But which one is correct?

Discokeryx xiezhi

However, to get to the bottom of the truth once and for all, researchers have delved into the recently discovered fossil remains of a rather strange, extinct giraffe in a new study: Discokeryx xiezhi called. The fossils — including a complete skull and four cervical vertebrae — were found in the Junggar Basin, one of the largest sedimentary basins in northwest China, and are believed to be some 17 million years old. Although this forerunner of the giraffe was much smaller than today’s giraffes, it already had some special properties. For example, he was equipped with the ‘horns’ characteristic of giraffes on his head.

headbutts

The researchers subjected the fossil remains to a thorough inspection. And that leads to a surprising discovery. The results show that the extinct giraffe species had very strong neck vertebrae. In addition, Discokeryx xiezhi about the most complex joints between the head and neck of all mammals. And that makes this neck particularly suitable for handing out firm headbutts. In addition, analysis of its tooth enamel shows that the ancient giraffe lived on open grassland and filled ‘a different ecological niche’ in the ecosystem than other herbivores.

Sexual Competition

These two things together can really only mean one thing, the researchers argue. Because it is possible that sexual competition is at the root of giraffes’ long necks.

The discovery of the fossil remains of Discokeryx xiezhi thus possibly solving the long-standing evolutionary mystery of giraffes. Because, according to the researchers, it is likely that mating males initially developed a long neck to attack their competitors by waving their necks and heads. The fact that with such a long neck they can easily reach high foliage is of course a bonus. And so we finally seem to know the answer to that simple yet pressing question about how giraffes got their long and unique necks.