Via a mailing list, two giraffes beating each other up:
I'm sure that an actual biologist could explain something about what this odd behavior signifies, and there's probably some fascinating biophysics in the way that they whip their necks around like that.
But, really, in the end, my main reaction is "Dude! Head-butting giraffes!"
(YouTube, of course, provides a wealth of other fighting-giraffe video, including this oddly disturbing video of a bald guy beating up a stuffed animal in the snow, to the sound of "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band. The Internet is an extremely strange place.)
More like this
Once upon a time, there were three giant hippopotamuses...
No, Daddy, it was three little pigs.
This is a completely different story, honey.
Once upon a time, there were three giant hippopotamuses, who lived together in a river in Africa.
tags: researchblogging.org, giraffe species,
I can't see any comments on your blog, so I don't know if anyone has answered your question yet, but since I work at a zoo I can't resist providing you with information.
This is a behavior called "necking" wherein to male giraffes fight for dominance. The whole thing, as you may have guessed, is related to sex - the male with the most strength and leverage (related to size) is going to win the right to mate with the females in the herd. You do see it on TV from time to time, but this was a really great video. I've been to Kenya twice and not seen necking that fierce.
Those horns on the top of their heads aren't just for decoration, you know.
Yep...intrasexual selection strikes again...and again...and again...
(ouch!)
I figured sex would have something to do with it. Whenever you find males of whatever species banging their heads into something over and over again, sex is at the root of it.
The real question is how you explain the bald dude wrestling a stuffed animal...
I'm not a biologist, actual or otherwise, but AFAIU there is currently two competing hypotheses why giraffes have long necks, selection for food or for sexual dominance fight (and then the female neck length rides along, ie it's not an Y-chromosome allele).
I think the last I saw was a press release on a paper claiming that the fight hypotheses is the current most supported, as claimed here.