The vertebral column is the hallmark of a large group of animals, the vertebrates. Each species has a unique spine, designed for the needs of this specific group of animals.
Usually, the spinal column extends from the base of the skull up to the pelvic zone, and in some cases, it forms a tail. It is made up of bone tissue, structured in discs or vertebrae that overlap each other. The number of vertebrae and their shape vary according to the animal species.
The spinal column is usually divided into 5 groups of vertebrae:
Cervicals - correspond to the area that is located with the neck. The first, which joins the skull, is called the Atlas and the second Axis.
Thoracic - they go from the base of the neck to the end of the thorax, where the ribs end.
Lumbaros - are the vertebrae of the lower back area
Sacral - are the vertebrae that are in the pelvis
Coccigee - are the vertebrae found in animals that have tails.
Physical characteristics of the giraffe
The giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, is an ungulate of the order of the artiodactyls because it has two fingers for each hoof. It shares certain characteristics of the deer and of the bovines, for instance, the stomach which is divided into four parts. It is a ruminant animal, it does not have incisors or canines in the upper mandible. It also has characteristics, however, which differentiate it from the aforementioned animals, its horns are covered with skin and its lower canines have two lobes.
They are very large and heavy animals, they can measure up to 6 meters high, and an adult giraffe can weigh up to a ton and a half.
Even if its boundless neck is noticed, it is also the animals that have the longest legs. Also, the bones of the toes and feet are long. The radius and ulna of the forelegs, as well as the tibia and the fibula in the hind legs, are fused into one bone and are very long. However, the bones that are really disproportionate compared to other animals are those that correspond to the hands and feet, namely the tarsus, the metatarsus, the carpus, and the metacarpus. The giraffes, like the rest of the ungulates, walk on the toes, without resting the heel.
How many vertebrae does the neck of a giraffe have?
The neck of the giraffes is very elongated as are its legs. It does not have a large number of vertebrae compared to other animals, the fact is that their vertebrae have an extremely elongated shape.
Like all mammals except sloth and manatee, giraffes have seven neck or cervical vertebrae. A vertebra of a male adult giraffe can measure up to 30 centimeters, and their neck as a whole can reach 2 meters.
The sixth vertebra of the neck of the ungulates has a different shape from the others, but in the giraffe, it is very similar to the third, fourth and fifth. The last cervical vertebra, the seventh, also resembles the others, while in other ungulates this vertebra has become the first thoracic vertebra, that is, two ribs are attached to it.
The function of the neck of the giraffe
Since the time of Lamarck and his theory on the evolution of the species, prior to Darwin's, the usefulness of the long neck of the giraffe has been much discussed and studied.
Early studies suggested that the length of the neck was used to reach the highest branches of acacia trees, a tree that mainly feeds the giraffes, so the specimens with the longest neck had more food available. However, this theory was later discarded.
What the observation of the giraffes' bodies had not clarified is that these animals use their necks to defend themselves from other animals. They use it also during the courtship rite when the males fight each other they hit each other on the neck and on the horns.