PERHAPS it鈥檚 a giraffe鈥檚 lofty stature that has given it a reputation for being a rather boorish, aloof creature. But it now seems we鈥檝e misunderstood the tallest of all mammals.
Giraffe are actually quite social animals, says Meredith Bashaw of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. They simply have a different concept of personal space. Though giraffe keep themselves well spread out most of the time, their long necks have allowed them to master the art of long-distance relationships.
Because of their eccentric body shape, researchers have concentrated on the animal鈥檚 physiology rather than its social habits. 鈥淪urprisingly, we know almost nothing about giraffe,鈥� says Bashaw. But her studies of the animals suggests that they probably use their height, good eyesight and open habitat to keep tabs on their pals from afar. They have been known to react to vehicles a couple of kilometres away, she says. Giraffe can also make sounds at frequencies below the threshold of human hearing, which could allow them to make contact across considerable distances.
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And even though giraffe can appear fickle about who they mix with, they still bond with each other. When one of a trio of giraffe Bashaw studied at Zoo Atlanta moved to a new zoo as part of a breeding programme, one of the two left behind started pacing, while the other began repeatedly licking objects, such as walls 鈥� behaviours seen in other social species when a group member leaves.
Bashaw is leading a study into the secret social lives of 11 giraffe at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Among the seven females in the group it is the younger animals that interact physically the most, she says, while the older giraffe simply stand near their friends occasionally. But adults in other social species do this as well, says Bashaw. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e grown up, and I like you, I might just stand next to you rather than cuddling with you.鈥�
