The Strange Way Giraffes Fight

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Giraffes are known for their peaceful nature and their preference for living together in close family social groups. Although they rarely fight with each other, there are times when two male giraffes may battle it out for the chance to mate or to establish territory. These fights can get violent and even involve cutting each other with the use of sharp horn-like pairs of ossicones on the top of their heads.

The video above shows the fascinating way male giraffes fight. Known as “necking” the giraffes use their long and powerful necks to attack, delivering hard blows with each hit. As you watch the video, you can hear the loud whacks coming from the neck punches, indicating these giraffes are hitting hard. And in the end, one triumphs while the other loses his footing.

Why Do Giraffes Fight?

To understand why giraffes fight we need to take a look at their social hierarchy. Giraffes live in stable family groups with older females helping the mothers to care for the young. A group of giraffes is called a tower. While the females live together, males may live alone or in small bachelor groups.

Real fights are rare among giraffes and they are typically over mating rights or territory. These fights can get violent, and even deadly as the males hit each other with their massive necks and stab each other with their ossicones. They take turns swinging their long necks, occasionally pausing as they stand shoulder to shoulder.

However, another reason for fighting is actually what researchers call “play fighting” or sparring. These sparring matches are not as violent as the serious fights, and nobody gets hurt. Scientists have observed sparring often happens between male giraffes of around the same size as if they are practicing fighting with each other. Sometimes these fights tend to be more wrestling matches than neck punching, and when they’re over, nobody is injured or on the ground.

Giraffes Are Righties and Lefties

In another fascinating detail, giraffes favor either their right paw or left paw just like humans are right or left-handed. When they fight, they have a preference for which side to fight from. Rather than taking advantage of this, the opposing giraffe lines up head-to-toe, or head-to-head with the other giraffe. Each giraffe gets to fight from their preferred side. Amazingly, researchers noted this happens time after time and no giraffe ever tried to cheat.

The Tallest Living Animal

Giraffes are by far the tallest animal in the world. They are six feet tall at birth and can grow between 14 and 19 feet tall. This puts them well over the second tallest animal, the African Bush Elephant at 10 to 13 feet. Not only are they tall, but giraffes are massive animals, weighing between 1,750 and 2,800 pounds. Around a third of their height is from their neck, which can reach six feet long.

Why Did Giraffes Evolve Such Long Necks?

Their long and powerful necks are also extremely flexible. Giraffes, just like humans, have seven cervical vertebrae. Unlike humans, giraffe cervical vertebrae are attached to each other with ball and socket joints, making them able to bend their necks in ways no other animal can. When they lie down, they fold their legs under their bodies and keep their necks held high.

Giraffe necks do more than help them reach high leaves in trees. They can keep a lookout for predators, but there is another reason they may have such long necks. Some scientists think giraffes evolved such long necks to fight other giraffes. The giraffe with the longest, most powerful necks won out on the evolutionary chain.

How Do Giraffes Drink Water Through Those Long Necks?

Giraffe necks are so long they can’t reach the ground. To get a sip of water from a water hole, a giraffe will splay its legs in an awkward-looking manner. The one-way valves in their veins prevent blood from flowing to their brain as they lower their heads to drink. Luckily they only need to drink every few days. They get much of their water from vegetation.

There Are Four Species of Giraffes

Previously, we thought there was one species of giraffe with nine subspecies. However, later research discovered four species of giraffes living in 21 countries in Africa. The four species include Reticulated, Masai, Southern, and Northern.

Are Giraffes Endangered?

These intelligent and unique creatures are vulnerable to threats from loss of habitat, climate change, and illegal poaching. Poachers hunt giraffes for their meat, skin, brain, and bone marrow. Although awareness has been raised of the growing threats to rhinos and elephants, less is known about the danger to giraffes. Sadly, their numbers are declining and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently proposed adding giraffes to the endangered list under the Endangered Species Act.