I didn’t mean to bring more books home from the library, but started browsing when I made some returns. Read this one while I put two others on pause. Almost stopped a third in because the first few sections of the book- on the history of how people in other countries (not Africa) first came to know about giraffes- had far too much about which important or wealthy ruler was gifted a giraffe when, how astonished everyone was at its appearance, and how slow actual factual knowledge about the animal came to be gathered. I started skipping the history chapters and just looking at the pictures. The photos are in groups following each chapter of text, with descriptions for the lot in one paragraph that directly proceeds them- and those photo-descriptive pages were worded kind of oddly. As if to be artistic, but it didn’t quite work for me, so different from the regular text it just felt strange.
I did like the photos. And the second half of the book was much better, which describes some interersting things about giraffe physiology and behavior. For example: for a long time people believed that giraffes don’t nurture their young well, because so many ignored or trampled their offspring in captivity. Well, turns out they were kept in poor conditions, fed the wrong food, constantly stressed, etc. I had to wonder if giraffes learn mothering skills from being among their own kind, if that had anything to do with it, when one was isolated in a zoo or collection . . . anyhow, later chapters tell how really they are good mothers, they just have different methods of caring for their young than you might expect. And that their social groups do have structure, if you bother to actually identify individuals and observe them closely enough. What did come across to me very strongly through the narrative and the pictures, was how disarming their apparently calm demeanor can be- how they seem to float across the landscape, react with gentle curiosity to people, and simply avoid trouble which they can see coming a long way off. But their immensely strong, stiffened lower legs (extra muscles prevent blood pooling) can deliver a vicious kick. And the males ram each other with horns on their heads “like hammers” sometimes enough to stun an opponent. I didn’t know before that male giraffes often have extra bony growths on their skulls, even behind the regular two horns. So much fascinating info – if you can just wade past the history lessons!
I did really appreciate that this book points out animals probably do some things just because they like to. That not every action is driven by an instinctual urge to “further the species” or pass on their genes. No- they engage in certain behaviors because they find it interesting, or satisfying, or enjoyable. We’re talking about homosexual behavior in male giraffes here, which I didn’t know about before, but I’m not surprised. It applies to so many other things, though. The author points out that giraffes have their own world view, which we may never actually be able to understand.
Borrowed from the public library.
