Why do giraffes have such long necks? Is it to reach higher leaves?
asks Alejandro Carreras, a student in North Carolina. While the origins of the giraffe’s neck is still a mystery, many scientists think the giraffe backstory is less about feeding, and more about fighting. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth, with some males standing 19 feet high. Weighing in at 1,200 to 4,200 lbs., giraffes still manage to run at up to 35 mph. Besides their long necks, giraffes also have long, grasping tongues, which can extend 18 inches to reach tasty inner tree leaves. The fossil record shows that giraffes evolved from a deer-like ancestor with a shorter neck. By about 1 million years ago, modern giraffes had appeared on the African savannah. Why did the long neck evolve? Until recently, the most popular theory involved finding food. Giraffe-like animals who were born with longer-than-normal necks were thought to have a big feeding advantage, since in times of scarcity, they could reach higher into trees to forage for leaves. Longer-necked individuals were mor
