File:The game animals of Africa (1908) (14568732909).jpg

English: FIG. 74.—Bull Somali Giraffe [i.e. Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata], photographed by Lord Delamere in Rendite district, north of Gwaso Nyiro [i.e. Ewaso Ng'iro River in northern Kenya]

Identifier: gameanimalsofafr00lyde (find matches)
Title: The game animals of Africa
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Lydekker, Richard, 1849-1915
Subjects: Game and game-birds Hunting Big game animals
Publisher: London, R. Ward, limited
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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Text Appearing Before Image:
Fig. 74.—Bull Somali Giraffe, photographed by Lord Delamere in the Rendite district, north of Gwaso Nyiro. the effect that, owing to the thickness of their hides, they burst through all such obstacles with the greatest ease, skirting tree-trunks with a sudden swerve, and bending their long necks beneath branches with surprising skill and swiftness. Giraffes are essentially browsing animals, and can only graze or drink by straddling the fore-legs wide apart in an extremely ungainly attitude. Leaves are stripped from the branches by means of the long flexible tongue and the protruding and partially prehensile upper lip, which, like its fellow, is covered with dense velvety hair, forming, it would appear, an efficient protection against thorn-pricks. Probably the teeth assist in combing the leaves from the branches; and it may be that the double crowns of the outer pair of lower front GIRAFFE 371
Text Appearing After Image:
FIG. 745.—Somali Giraffes feeding on Mimosa to the east of the General Mathews Chain, from a photograph by Lord Delamere. 372 GIRAFFE GROUP teeth are for the purpose of aiding this action. For defence these animals depend mainly on sight and speed; but when wounded they are reported to strike out with their fore-feet in a highly dangerous manner ; and the same action may perhaps be employed when the bulls are fighting with one another. The following account (which refers in part to the Somali species) of the habits and mode of occurrence of giraffes in East Africa is abbreviated from one furnished by Mr. A. H. Neumann :— As a rule, giraffes prefer rather open bush-country. They are particularly numerous in the neighbourhood of the Gwaso Nyiro river, a little north of Kenia, where the character of the country appears just suited to their wants; and I have there seen large herds (containing forty, fifty, or more individuals) on both sides of the river. Occasionally, however, giraffes are found in pretty thick bush—I have come on them in such situations a little north of the Tana river, an

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