Giraffes are a mammal meaning that they are warm blooded. They are found in the open plains of the African Savannahs. The feed on the leaves of trees, mainly acacia, and have adapted to have very long legs and necks in order to reach the tops of the trees to feed. Their long tongues also help them to reach their food source. Giraffes can be up to 6 metres tall with their legs and necks reaching up to 1.8 metres. They are herbivores. The main predator of the giraffe is the lion, however, young and wounded giraffes can also be prey for hyenas and leopards. Giraffes breed at any time throughout the year with an average gestation period of 453 to 464 days. Usually, only one calf is born, and weaning takes about 15 months.
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The parts of the circulatory system include the heart which is made up of the left and right atria, the left and right ventricle, veins, arteries, capillaries, and blood. The atria take blood in and are small and non-muscular. When the valves open, blood flows into the ventricle. The ventricle pump blood and are thick and muscular. The right side of the heart collects deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs where the blood is oxygenated. The left side of the heart collects oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body. The left side is bigger and more muscular as it has to pump blood the the whole body. The right ventricle can't have as much muscle as it would increase the blood pressure which could cause damage to the capillaries and blood vessels the blood is pumped through. ALso having less muscle mans that the blood is not pumped through as fast and can absorb more oxygen. The heart pumps two circuits - from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart, and the from …show more content…
In order to stop blood draining to the head and causing damage, giraffes have a rete mirabile, which is a complex maze like structure of blood vessels that collects blood before it enters the head and regulates it in order to make sure the correct amount of blood goes into the head when the giraffe bends down. Also, when a giraffe bends down, the vessels will expand and contract to change the volume of blood flowing to the brain. A giraffes blood vessels have special valves to stop blood flowing the wrong direction. The rete mirabile also works when the giraffe stands back up again. It stops too much blood from draining out of the head due to gravity. Giraffes have adapted to only need to drink every few days, and they also get water from the leaves that they
The giraffe is a member …show more content…
The parts of the circulatory system include the heart which is made up of the left and right atria, the left and right ventricle, veins, arteries, capillaries, and blood. The atria take blood in and are small and non-muscular. When the valves open, blood flows into the ventricle. The ventricle pump blood and are thick and muscular. The right side of the heart collects deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs where the blood is oxygenated. The left side of the heart collects oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body. The left side is bigger and more muscular as it has to pump blood the the whole body. The right ventricle can't have as much muscle as it would increase the blood pressure which could cause damage to the capillaries and blood vessels the blood is pumped through. ALso having less muscle mans that the blood is not pumped through as fast and can absorb more oxygen. The heart pumps two circuits - from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart, and the from …show more content…
In order to stop blood draining to the head and causing damage, giraffes have a rete mirabile, which is a complex maze like structure of blood vessels that collects blood before it enters the head and regulates it in order to make sure the correct amount of blood goes into the head when the giraffe bends down. Also, when a giraffe bends down, the vessels will expand and contract to change the volume of blood flowing to the brain. A giraffes blood vessels have special valves to stop blood flowing the wrong direction. The rete mirabile also works when the giraffe stands back up again. It stops too much blood from draining out of the head due to gravity. Giraffes have adapted to only need to drink every few days, and they also get water from the leaves that they