Respiration
Without giraffe's lungs being as large as they are( which is eight times larger than human's) giraffe's would be having to breathe the same air over and over. Because of the giraffe's trachea being so long and narrow, there is a big volume of "dead' air inside. However, by the giraffe's breathing rate being one-third slower than man's breathing, this is to help with this dead air problem. When a giraffe takes a new breath, the "old" breath is not totally done for yet. Just like humans and other mammals giraffes breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. When a giraffe breathes oxygen into the body, the air travels down the trachea and into the lungs. The lungs fill up with oxygen, and the giraffe's circulatory system takes this much-needed gas to the rest of the giraffe's body. When a giraffe breathes out, carbon dioxide is released into the air. Then once that is over the whole cycle begins again.
Communication/Vocalization
Giraffes are mainly quiet animals and the majority of their communication takes place on a non-verbal level. However, certain noises have been observed in the wild and captivity. The vocalization of giraffes becomes more prevalent during the mating season. The males will make what appears to be similar to a human coughing in order to attract the attention of females. When a female is making a constant low whistling sound is when she is communicating with her calf.
The non verbal communication of a giraffe that are discovered is necking. Which has two meanings – when it is two males they are battling over a female or to prove who is stronger. When it is a male and female then it is due to courting rituals. There isn’t any evidence to suggest that two females will engage in this particular behavior because female giraffes aren't seen as aggressive.
Sometimes giraffes can be observed making low hissing or growling sound. This is often to indicate that they are in danger close by and to also warn others to stay away. Mothers are extremely protective of their young and sometimes they don’t like it when other females become very interested in their young one. They can also hiss to remind their young to stay close so that they are less likely to be a target for predators.
Without giraffe's lungs being as large as they are( which is eight times larger than human's) giraffe's would be having to breathe the same air over and over. Because of the giraffe's trachea being so long and narrow, there is a big volume of "dead' air inside. However, by the giraffe's breathing rate being one-third slower than man's breathing, this is to help with this dead air problem. When a giraffe takes a new breath, the "old" breath is not totally done for yet. Just like humans and other mammals giraffes breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. When a giraffe breathes oxygen into the body, the air travels down the trachea and into the lungs. The lungs fill up with oxygen, and the giraffe's circulatory system takes this much-needed gas to the rest of the giraffe's body. When a giraffe breathes out, carbon dioxide is released into the air. Then once that is over the whole cycle begins again.
Communication/Vocalization
Giraffes are mainly quiet animals and the majority of their communication takes place on a non-verbal level. However, certain noises have been observed in the wild and captivity. The vocalization of giraffes becomes more prevalent during the mating season. The males will make what appears to be similar to a human coughing in order to attract the attention of females. When a female is making a constant low whistling sound is when she is communicating with her calf.
The non verbal communication of a giraffe that are discovered is necking. Which has two meanings – when it is two males they are battling over a female or to prove who is stronger. When it is a male and female then it is due to courting rituals. There isn’t any evidence to suggest that two females will engage in this particular behavior because female giraffes aren't seen as aggressive.
Sometimes giraffes can be observed making low hissing or growling sound. This is often to indicate that they are in danger close by and to also warn others to stay away. Mothers are extremely protective of their young and sometimes they don’t like it when other females become very interested in their young one. They can also hiss to remind their young to stay close so that they are less likely to be a target for predators.