Comments on: Giraffe Necks Not for Sex

By: Martyn Cornell

Martyn Cornell — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:47:16 +0000

Jenny: “giraffes’ necks are actually too short!” Well, clearly, they’re NOT too short, of they wouldn’t be able to reach the ground at all, legs splayed or not, and they’d die of thirst. The lengthening of giraffe’s necks has clearly been linked with the lengthening of their legs, and longer legs must clearly mean longer necks to be able to reach water. The fact that they currently have to splay their legs only shows that the lenghtening of the necks lags somewhat behind the lengthening of the legs.

By: phin_k

phin_k — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 04:24:55 +0000

I think evolution is not just about behavior driven genetic changes. I think random genetic mutations from environmental changes or whatever also plays a big part. I don’t think giraraffe’s neck became long cos of wat they do, I think they do wat they do cos their neck is long. If some radiation crisis happens and causes strange genetic mutation in a population, only those people with useful mutations will survive n produce a new breed of humans, while all those with worthless mutations will die out. If the surviving mutated population has long necks, u can’t say that it’s cos they love hanging themselves. But those guys will probably find ways to use their long necks. Anyways, that’s just my thought.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 15:43:14 +0000

Martyn & Adrian: It’s not to do with being more or less able to drink – giraffes’ necks are actually too short! To reach down to drink they have to really splay their legs out to be able to reach so low.

By: Brian Switek

Brian Switek — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 02:37:46 +0000

Tyler: As for really intense “necking”, I don’t think sauropods did so. Giraffes have those nice ossicones, and, as Mitchell et al showed, the skulls of male giraffes are heavier as a possible adaptation to that kind of fighting. Sauropods didn’t have any such ornamentation or reinforcement, and might break their nasal bones if they tried.

But I think sauropods could have engaged in something similar to light necking – bracing against each other, comparing necks, to see who was the bigger or stronger individual. In addition to really extending their feeding envelope, sauropods necks could have been like fleshy billboards used to advertise vigor, maturity, etc. We’ll probably never know, but I think it’s reasonable to imagine two sauropods posturing at each other.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:48:43 +0000

So, Brian, put on your paleontology hat for a minute: is it possible sauropods engaged in similar behaviors? Or would one blow from a larger individual kill the other?

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:58:16 +0000

Alternatively they evolved their long legs because otherwise they had to stand a long way away from the water if they wanted to drink…

By: Martyn Cornell

Martyn Cornell — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:20:09 +0000

Theb reason why giraffes have long necks is obvious: with their long legs, if they didn’t have long necks, they wouldn’t be able to get their heads down to reach waterholes to drink.