Zoo-BI_Carts_Giraffe Flashcards
Q: Scientific Classification of Giraffes
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Subphylum - Vertebrata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)
Family - Giraffidae
Genus - Giraffa
Species - camelopardalis
SFZG has reticulated giraffe - Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata
Q: What does the giraffe species name refer to?
(Giraffa camelopardalis)
Camelopardalis refers to its camel-like shape and its leopard-like coloring.
“Giraffa” comes from “zarafah” (Arabic), meaning “one who walks swiftly”.
“camelopardalis” means “camel marked like a leopard”.
It was originally thought that giraffes were part camel and part leopard.
Q: How many species/subspecies of giraffes are there?
Giraffes are presently classified as one species, with nine subspecies.
Q: What kind of giraffes does the SFZG have?
Subspecies reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata).
Q: What markings distinguish a reticulated giraffe?
Reticulated giraffes have very clearly defined dark patches with bright-whitish channels between them.
Q: Ungulates (general overview)
Hoofed animals, most walk on tips of toes (unguligrade).
Comprise vast majority of world’s large herbivores.
Vast majority are large herbivores. Grazers and browsers.
Eyes on the side of the head; prey animals.
Precocial young.
Classified in two Orders: Perrisodactyla and Artiodactyla
The Order/Infraorder Cetacea (whales and dolphins) is sometimes merged with the Artiodactyla forming new Order Cetartiodactyla. Whales evolved with the hippo being their closest relative. Some sources consider Cetacea an infraorder within Artiodactyla.
Q: Difference between grazers and browsers.
Grazer: type of feeding where an animal eats the grass on the ground.
Browser: type of feeding where an animal eats the vegetation on bushes and trees.
Q: Examples of ungulate grazers and browsers.
Grazers: zebras, horses
Browsers: black rhino, hippo
Grazer and Browser: Greater one-horned or Indian rhino
Q: Differences between molars of grazers vs. browsers.
Molars of grazers are large and flattened, with a series of ridges to help grind up the plant material.
Browser molars are also large and flattened but tend to be identified by a series of peaks and valleys to help crush and grind the more fibrous plant material.
Q: One key way that multiple herbivorous ungulates reduce competition while coexisting? Example?
Resource partitioning.
Different species exploit different resources in an ecosystem to reduce competition. (Occupy separate niches.)
E.g., Rely on different parts of the plant(s).
E.g., zebras like the course, older tips of the grass. Wildebeest preferred the more tender center part of the grass blade.
Q: How are ungulates classified? When did these groups share a common ancestor and how did they develop from there?
Two different Mammalian Orders based on the number of toes.
The two Orders (Perrissodactyla/odd-toed and Artiodactyla/even-toed) diverged from a common hoofed ancestor 60 million years ago.
Odd: Middle toe is larger and the weight bearing runs through the middle digit (digit III). First to evolve and were the dominant large herbivores at first.
Even: Third and fourth digits remain large and bear weight. As grasses evolved, Artiodactyla were better able to adapt to coarse, low-nutrition diets, (through rumination) and soon rose to prominence over the Perissodactyls. Have come into their prime only in recent times, surpassing the odd-toed ungulates in numbers.
(In both groups, the degree to which non-weight bearing toes remain varies. E.g., horses have one toe and only tiny vestigial remnants of two on either side.)
Q: Examples of odd- and even-toed ungulates.
Odd: Rhinos, horses, zebras, donkeys, tapirs. Native to Africa, Asia, and Americas.
Even: Hippos, sheep, goats, camels, pigs, peccaries, cows, bison, buffalo, deer, pronghorns, giraffes, antelope, camels, llamas, guanacos, alpacas, vicunas, greater kudu, eastern mountain bongo.
Q: Cellulose
An organic compound that forms the main component of the cell walls of plants; it gives wood its remarkable strength.
Q: Since mammals lack the enzymes needed to break down cellulose, how do they do it?
-Mammals can only access a small portion of the nutrients in vegetation by themselves.
-They are aided in cellulose digestion by microorganisms residing in the digestive system, either in the stomach (foregut fermentation) or in the intestines (hindgut fermentation). Rumination is a process using foregut fermentation. (details on separate cards).
-A lengthy intestinal tract is a hallmark of many herbivores. Food remains for longer periods in the longer gut, allowing for additional chemical digestion and more absorption of nutrients.
Q: Foregut vs. hindgut fermentation? Benefits/drawbacks?
Foregut:
-Microbes housed in multi-chambered stomach.
-Fermentation occurs before stomach digestion.
-Food is already broken down when it reaches the intestines; absorption of nutrients can occur along entire intestines.
-Benefit: Produces more absorbable nutrients than does hindgut fermentation. More efficient.
-Benefit: Can consume a large quantity of food and later process the plant material (in safety) to extract maximum amount of energy.
-Benefit: Can consume foods that other animals wouldn’t be able to digest or retrieve nutrients from.
-Slower process than hindgut fermentation. Takes twice as long.
-Rumination is a form of foregut fermentation.
Hindgut:
-Fermentation occurs after stomach digestion.
-Single-chambered stomach.
-Usually have longer intestines.
-Microbes are in the intestinal tract, often in a cecum.
-Since the microorganisms are located mostly in the cecum of the large intestine, the animal doesn’t have the full length of the intestines for absorption of the extracted nutrients. Less efficient for digesting grasses than foregut fermentation, fewer nutrients are produced. 66% as efficient as foregut fermentation but 2x faster.
-To make up for this inefficiency, these species (e.g., horses, zebras) must eat larger quantities of food.jhcytygrfffffgae dsxz
Q: What are ruminants?
Rumination (an form of foregut fermentation):
-Ruminants have a four-chambered stomach with specialized microbes to help break down the cellulose before the nutrients get absorbed in the intestines.
-Ruminants start by summarily chewing the food. They then regurgitate it later to chew it properly for a longer time.
-A form of foregut fermentation. (There are foregut fermenters that are not true ruminants.)
Q: Ruminate
To chew cud; to regurgitate and chew again what has been swallowed.
Q: What development in Earth’s history was a key factor in the evolution of rumination?
From the Miocene onwards, grasses covered the plains and provided a new food source.
Rumination provided a faster, more efficient method of extracting greater nutrition from low quality vegetation.
Q: Major factor contributing to the diversity and success of even-toed ungulates?
Diversity of even-toed ungulates and their success as ruminants is attributed to their highly efficient digestive system.
Q: Difference between odd-toed and even-toed ungulate digestion?
Odd-toed ungulates: Simple stomachs. Hindgut fermenters - digest grasses and plant cellulose in intestines; microorganisms that help break down cellulose are housed after the stomach in the intestines. This process is inefficient. Bulk feeders; they ingest large quantities of low-nutrient food.
Even-toed ungulates: Mainly ruminants with four-chambered stomach and foregut fermentation by microbes. Some ruminants have 3 chambers. A few even-toed ungulates are not ruminants.
Q: Even-toed Ungulates - Order Artiodactyla (general overview)
Distributed worldwide.
Mainly ruminants, with four chambered stomach and foregut fermentation by microbes. (Some ruminants have 3 chambers.)
1-2 precocial offspring, except pigs which have litters
Scents are important in communication.
Most are herd or group animals.
(see ungulates overview card for characteristics common to odd & even toed ungulates)
(separate card for toe distinction)
Q: What is a hoof?
Modified toenail strengthened by [thick] keratin (same material as your nails and hair)
Q: Benefits of hooves for giraffes?
Large hooves give base of giraffe foot greater surface area and therefore better balance.
Large (dinner-plate-sized) hooves act like snowshoes and prevent them from sinking into loose sand; distribute weight.
Hooves protect the digits and encase the foot.
Provide weapon to kick predators.
Q: List some giraffe adaptations to life on open grassland
Long legs (increase running speed, weapon against predators, reach vegetation that others can’t).
Hooves (see hoof card).
Foregut fermentation & rumination.
Long neck & tongue allows reaching high vegetation that others can’t.
Nostrils can be closed to protect against sandstorms (and ants)
Q: Giraffe gait (walking vs running)
Giraffes have a unique gait.
To avoid tripping over their long legs and big feet, when walking they move both legs on one side of their body and then both legs on the other side.
They run like most other mammals by swinging their rear and front legs in unison.
Q: What is one notable characteristic of plants for which herbivores must develop adaptations?
Plants are made of cellulose, which is a difficult component to break down.
Q: Adaptations of giraffes that help them consume cellulose/plants. (many of these are common among herbivores)
Teeth:
-Grinding surface on their teeth that aids in digestion of this fibrous material; grind vegetation into a pulp.
–Well-developed premolars and molars, often with sharp ridges on the tops for grinding.
–Broad, ridged molars.
-Incisors are clipper-like to snip off foliage from branches.
–No upper incisors. Dental pad. (see other card)
-Canines are reduced or absent.
-Diastema: giraffes and many herbivores have long toothless portion from the premolars to the incisors called a “diastema”. This provides room to hold/reposition plant material as they grind/break it up. Enables food to move to their cheek so they can continue feeding without taking a break.
Chewing:
-Side-to-side movement of the jaw.
-G. have very muscular tongues to move food around in mouth.
Foregut fermentation and rumination (see other cards)
Tongue and lips:
-Prehensile tongue and upper lip (see other card)
Q: Describe giraffe incisors
Giraffes have only lower, flat shaped incisors that meet the upper toothless gum, a dental pad.
No upper incisors.
Q: What is a giraffe’s dental pad?
There is a plate of bone under the skin on the roof of their mouth to grind against. (no upper incisors)
Helps in gathering large quantities of grass and other plant material.
Zebras and horses do have upper incisors and no dental pad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_pad
Q: Name some dental adaptations that distinguish browsers from grazers.
Molars tend to be identified by a series of peaks and valleys to help crush and grind the plant material; they are used to puncture the fruits, leaves and sticks that might be part of their diet.
