Giraffe (eBook)

Biology, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour

Bryan Shorrocks (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2016 | 1. Auflage
232 Seiten
Wiley (Verlag)
9781118587447 (ISBN)

Infos

Provides a comprehensive overview of one of nature's most engaging mammals

• Covers fossil history, taxonomy, genetics, physiology, biomechanics, behavior, ecology, and conservation
• Includes genetic analysis of five of the six subspecies of modern giraffes
• Includes giraffe network studies from Laikipia Kenya, Etosha National Park, Namibia andSamburu National Reserve, Kenya

Professor Bryan Shorrocks, Environment Department, University of York, York, UK.

Inhalt

Copyright Page 6
Title Page 5
Contents 7
Preface 8
Chapter 1 Introduction to the giraffe 11
Chapter 2 Origins 23
Introduction 23
Gelocidae 27
Climacoceratidae 29
Canthumerycidae 30
Palaeotraginae 30
The African lineage 33
Giraffa gracilis 33
Chapter 3 Present distribution and geographical races 36
Chapter 4 Anatomy 52
The skin 52
The skeleton 55
Bone structure 57
The skull 58
The teeth 62
The horns or ossicones 62
Movement 65
Muscles 68
Chapter 5 Physiology 70
The sensory organs and nerves 70
The cardiovascular system 72
The respiratory system 76
The digestive system 77
The reproductive system 80
Growth 81
Thermoregulation 83
Chapter 6 Individual behaviour 86
Giraffe activities (one individual) 86
Giraffe interactions (two individuals) 88
Fighting and the evolution of the giraffe’s neck 90
Dominance hierarchies 94
Is birthing synchronised and is there birthing site fidelity? 98
Vigilance: an advantage of living in groups 104
Chapter 7 Individual ecology 110
Daily activity in time and space 110
Foraging and diet 121
The role of plant defences 130
Interactions with other species 133
Predator prey type interactions (+ ?) 134
Competition (? ?) 139
Mutualism (+ +) 142
Chapter 8 Social networks, movement and population regulation 144
Recognising individuals 145
Estimating population size 149
Dispersal and home ranges 156
Herd size 159
Social networks 162
Giraffe social networks 165
Population regulation and size 170
Chapter 9 Conservation status and wildlife reserves 176
Reasons for giraffe decline: what factors might be involved? 176
Numbers and population trends in 1998 177
Mauritania 177
Mali 177
Niger 178
Senegal 178
Guinea 178
Burkina Faso 178
Nigeria 178
Chad 178
Cameroon 179
Central African Republic 179
Congo-Kinshasa 179
Sudan 179
Eritrea 179
Ethiopia 179
Somalia 180
Uganda 180
Kenya 180
Tanzania 180
Rwanda 181
Angola 181
Zambia 181
Mozambique 181
Namibia 181
Botswana 181
Zimbabwe 181
South Africa 182
Swaziland 182
Numbers and population trends in 2015 182
Examples of population change 183
An assessment of the likely causes 187
Protected areas as islands 188
Protected areas for giraffe 193
Moving individual giraffe 193
Conclusions 195
References 197
Index 227
Supplemental Images 234
EULA 238

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.8.2016
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Zoologie
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: Africa • Ökologie • Ökologie / Tiere • Animal ecology • Animal Science & Zoology • Behavior & Behavioral Ecology • Behaviour • Biowissenschaften • Browsers • conservation • Evolution • Giraffe • Life Sciences • Ökologie • Ökologie / Tiere • Population Studies • Savannah • Social Networks • Taxonomy • Verhalten • Verhalten, Verhaltensökologie • Verhalten, Verhaltensökologie • Zoologie
• ISBN-13: 9781118587447 / 9781118587447