Zürafa (giraffe) nin ingilizce olarak tanıtımı, hakkında ingilizce bilgi. Zürafalar ile ilgili ingilizce yazı, tanıtım.
The African mammal called the giraffe is best known for its long neck, long legs and splotched colouring. It is the tallest animal in the world, for the bulls, or males, sometimes reach a height of 19 feet, although the cows are rather smaller. The front legs are roughlt the same length as the rear ones. But because animal’s fore parts are higher than its hind parts its back slopes downwards from shoulder to tail.
In spite of its length, the neck of the giraffe has only seven bones, just like that of any other mammal. The head is small and narrow, and the dark, soft eyes make the giraffe look very gentle and innocent. It quickly becomes aware of any danger, for its ears can pick up the faintest sounds and its eyesight and sense of smell are also very good. The giraffe is almost silent but its voice, a short roar, has been heard several times in captivity. Between its ears it usually has two short horns covered with skin and hair. Some giraffes have a third small horn rising from the forehead, and occasionally as many as five bulges are seen.
The giraffe feeds by browsing.
In other words, it eats leaves and not grass. Thanks to its long neck it can pick the leaves from the topmost branches of the mimosa and acacia trees which it likes so much. The giraffe’s tongue is often a foot and a half long. It can use it to pick the smallest leaves off thorny plants. It is amusing to watch a giraffe in the act of drinking, for it has to spread its fore legs apart and bend down in the clumsiest manner. Most giraffes drink fairly regularly. Although the giraffes that live in the northern Kalahari Desert seem able to go without drink for months at a time.
The hair of the giraffe is short and smooth, although the long tail ends in a tuft of hair.
The colouring and pattern vary in different parts of Africa. The body is covered with large reddish brown patches with white borders. Its outline is broken up so well that a keen eye is needed to see the animal among the trees, in spite of its size. Its thick hide makes excellent leather and this was one of the reasons why it was heavily hunted by man. It has disappeared from some parts of Africa where it used to live, but is not likely to die out now that it is protected. Giraffes are still found on the open plains from South Africa right up to Sudan in the north and Senegal in the west.
Giraffes lead simple lives, travelling in herds and doing no harm to other animals.
But they are sometimes hunted by lions. Normally the giraffe has a peculiar way of ambling rather than walking. But when frightened or attacked it takes to flight and can gallop at more than 30 miles an hour. It is faster than any horse. When necessary it can put up a good fight by kicking out with either its fore or hind legs, or by using its head like a sledgehammer. Even a lion is careful to attack a giraffe from behind. A single calf is born, which can trot along behind its mother after two or three days.
The only living relative of the giraffe is the okapi, which lives in the dense forests of the Congo in Central Africa. This shy, rare animal, which was not discovered until 1900. It has the same kind of shape as the giraffe but has a shoulder height of about five feet six inches, with different colouring. It is mostly dark reddish brown, but the sides of its head are whitish. And its legs and thighs have yellowish-white horizontal stripes. Only the male has horns and it is usually smaller than the female.
