Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 1, 2024

'Devil monkeys' are attacking people in Thailand, Japan and India. Here's why.

Wildlife tourism thrives on our fascination with animals and primates are particularly attractive animals to tourists. With their human-like faces, complex family dynamics and acrobatic antics, they are a joy to behold. But recent stories have emerged that portray monkeys in a more sinister light. Reports of monkey attacks, devil...

Sep 8, 2005

Rare White Giraffe Photographed

A researcher in Africa has finally spotted the rare white giraffe that he's been seeking for twelve years, and he's got a photograph to prove it. Charles Foley, a Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) researcher, first heard rumors of the white giraffe in 1993 when he was working in Tanzania's Tarangire...

Oct 6, 2005

Giraffe's Tumor Removed in Tricky Surgery

WASHINGTON (AP) -- National zoo veterinarians treated a giraffe Wednesday for a tumor on its head, in what the chief vet said was the first such case of skin cancer. The 13-foot-tall Jafari was back on his feet and in seeming good health in his habitat following the 45-minute procedure...

Jun 26, 2006

Why Giraffes Don't Get Dizzy

In just a second or two, a giraffe can lift its head from ground level to the sky, some 15 feet (4.5 meters) up, and never get a head rush. If we did that we'd certainly faint, says physiologist Graham Mitchell of the University of Wyoming. Mitchell and his team...

Dec 20, 2007

New Giraffe Species Threatened with Extinction

What was thought to be one species of giraffe might actually be several, scientists said today, raising concern that one or more of the species could be on the brink of extinction. A genetic study suggests there are six or more species in a region of Africa thought to have...

Sep 10, 2008

Rare 'Forest Giraffe' Photographed

An okapi, a rare giraffe-like mammal not seen for 50 years in an African wildlife park, has been captured on film. Or, at least the striped legs of the forest-dwelling creature have been photographed. The new image was made by a camera trap in the African Democratic Republic of Congo's...

Mar 8, 2011

Giraffe Calf Born at Houston Zoo

This baby Masai giraffe calf was born at the Houston Zoo on March 4. The new arrival, a female, is the most recent at the zoo and the first birth in it's African Forest exhibit , which opened on Dec. 10, 2010. The calf weighs 150 pounds and is over...

Jul 27, 2011

Big Baby: Giraffe Calf Born at Atlanta Zoo

At 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and weighing in the neighborhood of 125 pounds (56 kilograms), Zoo Atlanta's newest baby is already bigger than many humans, but still has lots of growing to do. The spindly-legged giraffe calf was born just days ago, in the early hours of Friday morning...

Oct 10, 2011

Calf of Giraffe Relative Born at San Diego Zoo

Looking a lot like a horse, but with stripes similar to a zebra, the faces of an okapi calf and her mother show signs of their real relative - the giraffe. The mother, Makini, gave birth on Sept. 4, 2011, to the 37th okapi born at the Safari Park and...

Oct 14, 2011

Growing Up Giraffe-Style

Two of the San Diego Zoo's youngest giraffes were staying close to each other on Monday morning, October 10. The shorter of the giraffes, which also has a lighter-colored coat, was born on August 30 and is the second male calf born to his mother, Nicki. He weighed 162 pounds...

Apr 13, 2012

Aging Male Giraffes Go Black, Not Gray

Male giraffes become more illustrious with age, but rather than the silvery locks that distinguish the likes of Sean Connery and George Clooney, the hairy blotches on these long-necked mammals darken with age. And new research suggests the appearance change takes about 1.8 years to complete, with male giraffes being...

Jun 14, 2012

Images: A Baby Giraffe Is Born

What's up? (Image credit: Amiee Stubbs)Mother Margarita and calf. Margarita the giraffe just gave birth to a female calf at the Nashville Zoo on Sunday, June 10. A baby giraffe smile (Image credit: Amiee Stubbs)Just four days old, the baby giraffe already stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall (1.9 meters)...

Jun 14, 2012

Baby Giraffe Born at Nashville Zoo

Margarita the giraffe just gave birth to a female calf at the Nashville Zoo on Sunday, June 10. Just four days old, the baby giraffe already stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall (1.9 meters) and weighs about 160 pounds (73 kilograms). Mother and calf are doing well and are currently...

Jun 21, 2012

Photos: Belfast Zoo's New Giraffe

Welcome home (Image credit: Belfast Zoo.)On June 13, Belfast Zoo staff and visitors were delighted to welcome a female Rothschild's giraffe calf. Big family (Image credit: Belfast Zoo.)The new arrival means that Belfast Zoo now cares for a herd of 10 Rothschild's giraffes. Bath time (Image credit: Belfast Zoo.)Rothschild's giraffes...

Feb 14, 2014

The 'Marius Effect'? First Do No Harm, as Another Giraffe Faces Euthanasia (Op-Ed)

Marc Bekoff, emeritus professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is one of the world's pioneering cognitive ethologists, a Guggenheim Fellow, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Bekoff's latest book is Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed (New World Library, 2013). This...