do female giraffes have horns

We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. There are some theories and speculations though. And you may wonder how it can defend itself from other animals. Giraffes have "ossicones." We only find the giraffes in Africa on the savannah. They are very unique to the giraffe and you only find them and one other species (more info further down). Feb 3, 2017 - This Pin was discovered by Karine Lawson. The okapi also lives exclusively in Africa but not on the savanna. Male giraffes battle with other males for access to resources, such as food, water or mates. It’s bone tissue but it’s softer than the hard type of bone we would find inside a leg or inside the neck. When you touch to ossicones they feel soft and firm like the legs of the giraffe. By clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailerLite for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. The horns are called ossicones. Both male and female giraffes have horns, but the tops of the horns on a male are almost always bald. Females don’t fight, so they never lose the hair on their horns. The skin is very thick to protect them from predators. Because this ancient relative did have long horns/antlers and when it developed into a giraffe the horn didn’t disappear. We would love to hear your thoughts! Today the horns don’t really have a purpose. Male giraffes use their horns to spar, throwing their neck against each other. Male giraffes battle with other males for access to resources, such as food, water or mates. Giraffes have horns because they are used as weapons during inter-species conflicts. While both genders possess the horns, the horns of males lack the tufts of fur that female horns bear. When you take a good look at a giraffe it doesn’t look dangerous at all. The giraffe with horns can be either sex. Note that they are covered with hair except at the tips. They both have a very characteristic tongue … Giraffes sure are funny animals and we don’t know why they have the dark tongue either. We are reader supported. In some species males grow a second pair of ossicones behind the first pair, as well as prominent ossicone in front of the main pair. The closest relative to the giraffe is called the Okapis. So it’s not antlers and it’s not horns either. Tufted tail. Giraffes have two horns on the top of their head called ossicones. This median (middle) ossicone of the male adult Northern and Reticulated giraffe are on average considerably larger than those of the Masai and Southern giraffe – a key morphological feature which further divides giraffe into different species. Instead, they only grow smaller and looks like the ones we find on the top of the giraffes head today. Giraffe are born with their ossicones, however, they lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. Giraffe 'horns' are not actually called horns but 'ossicones' and both female and male giraffe have them. When humans began selectively breeding the aurochs to produce cattle, they originally had horns in both sexes, too. The prominent horns are formed from ossified cartilage, and are called ossicones. And this just might be the real reason why giraffes have horns. Besides the two horns, the okapi and the giraffe also have something else in common: A long dark-colored tongue. If an enemy comes to close the giraffe can choose to swing its head really fast that sometimes these little horns will help to knock out the other opponent. Discover (and save!) Both male and female giraffes have small horns, called ossicones, which are covered by skin. They both have a very characteristic tongue which feels funny. You might have seen it in the zoo when the giraffe sticks out its long tongue to grab food from your hand. 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