Animal Autopsy- Giraffe

What is the significant difference in the structure of the Giraffe Heart?

• extremely thick left ventricle myocardium

• extremely thick right ventricle myocardium

• a very thin septum in the heart

• A small heart for the size of the animal

Answer explanation

this thick wall generates the highest blood pressure of any animal alive on Earth - 280/180 mmHg. Ours is 120/80!

What bones in your hand are equivalent to the bones that a girraffe stands on?

• the bones in your index, middle and ring finger

• the bones in your thumb

• the bones in your wrist

• the bones in your foot

Answer explanation

the front "knees" are actually wrists!

How does a giraffe keep its head up without using energy?

• a very thick ligament connects to the vertebrae of the giraffe and runs down the entire neck, suspending the head.

• lots of muscles are used to keep the head up.

• the neck cannot actually bend

Answer explanation

notice how the neck snaps back to the upright position in when the relieve pressure on it.

with such a high blood pressure, the brain should be damaged everytime that the giraffe bends to drink. But it doesn't. Why?

• It has a dense capillary network at the base of the skull that releives the pressure.

• the blood vessels are more plentiful in the neck

The black patches of the giraffe's skin are for the following functions:

• cooling the animal down since there is a capillary patch under the skin.

• camouflauge

• heat retention

• mimicry - looks like a leopard

the consequences of the Giraffe's specialized eukalyptus diet is that its survival is directly connected to the survival of

Answer explanation

the scientists say that the giraffe is on the edge of where an organism can evolve. It is highly specialized in comparison to an elephant's "junk food" diet.

The skin of the giraffe legs act as a

• G-suit (like what pilots wear)

• straight jacket (used with violent inmates in institutions)

• elastic bands

• tensor bandage that keeps the swelling down after injury