African Giraffes: Tanzania & Kenya
We encountered three types of Giraffes on our travels in Tanzania and Kenya: Masai, Reticulated, and Rothschild, each distinguished by their markings.
The Masai Giraffe’s markings are more ragged and the spaces between each “patch” not well defined. The Reticulated Giraffe has sharper edges on the patches with wider and clearer spaces in between. The Rothschild is distinguished by its white “knee socks.”
We witnessed “necking” between young males on several occasions. They spar by bumping and pushing each other with their butts, and by winding and intertwining their necks in an attempt to smack the other guy with their head. They have large cartilaginous bumps on their foreheads and when they connect it sounds like cue balls “clacking” together in a game of pool. This is deadly serious behavior as adults as they fight over females.
Read MoreThe Masai Giraffe’s markings are more ragged and the spaces between each “patch” not well defined. The Reticulated Giraffe has sharper edges on the patches with wider and clearer spaces in between. The Rothschild is distinguished by its white “knee socks.”
We witnessed “necking” between young males on several occasions. They spar by bumping and pushing each other with their butts, and by winding and intertwining their necks in an attempt to smack the other guy with their head. They have large cartilaginous bumps on their foreheads and when they connect it sounds like cue balls “clacking” together in a game of pool. This is deadly serious behavior as adults as they fight over females.
