Transcript Elephant Habitat

•Neck: Giraffes use their long necks to reach for leaves high in
trees. They only have seven vertebrae in their necks, the same
as humans. Their neck has evolved over time in longer length
due to competition of food.
•Legs: Their front legs are longer than their back legs, which
also helps them to reach the treetops.
• Storage of Water: Living in a dry climate, giraffes have a
hump in their back like a camel to store water as they travel.
•Sleep: Giraffes sleep for about only 5-30 minutes in 1 day and only a few members of the
herd sleep at a time. They have adapted over time to this due to the increase of death during
sleep.
• Herds: Giraffes travel in herds because it rare that a lion will go after an adult giraffe when
not sleeping. They are hard to tell apart and will surround young to protect them.
•Sounds: Make a variety of sounds, including moos, roars, snorts, hisses, and grunts. They
just very rarely do so. One sound giraffes make when they’re alarmed is a snort. These
sounds help other herd members able to protect themselves.
•Muscular trunk: serves as a
nose, a hand, an extra foot, a
signaling device and a tool for
gathering food, tap water,
dusting, digging and a variety
of other functions.
•Ears: large ears to hear
predators and to keep in heat
in colder temperatures and
release heat in heat
•Body Covering: no fur,
allowing the body to cool
quickly in warm temperatures
•Migration: African elephants
usually migrate at the
beginning of the dry season,
between June and November;
heading toward more
hospitable locations near rivers
and water sources that are not
prone to drying.
•Travel in Herds: 8-100
elephants travel in a herd for
protection and to help raise
young.
•Communication: elephants
communication through
sounds of their trunks,
pounding of their feet or
spraying of water to allow the
herd to get food, water or
protection from predators.
Giraffe
Habitat:
Sahara Desert in
Eastern and
Elephant
Habitat:
Sahara with forest
inhabiting
western and
central regions of
Africa and
Savanna Desert in
Eastern and
Southern Africa
Southern Africa.
Open plains of the
African Savanna
inhabiting western
and central regions
of
Africa
#
Trait
Giraffe
Elephant
1
Body Type
Tall and Thin
Short and Stocky
2
Body Coat
Spotted Fur Coat
Solid Folded Rough Skin
3
Color
Brown/Tan
Gray
4
Feet
Hoofed Feet (12 in)
Elephant Feet
5
Teeth
No Tusk
Tusk
6
Tail
8 Foot
4 Foot
7
Eyes
Large/ Side
Small/ Side
8
Sex
Female
Male
9
Nose
Giraffe Nose
Trunk
10
Ears
Little Ears
Floppy Ears
11
Weight
1500-300 lbs
6000-15000lbs
12
Front Legs
8-10 feet
6 feet
13
Back Legs
8 feet
5 feet
14
Tongue
18 inches
6 inches
15
Skull
Horn-Like Shape
Honeycomb Shape
16.
Neck
Long
Short
AA
Trunk
Aa
Trunk
Aa
Trunk
aa
No
Trunk
AA
Spots
Aa
Spots
Aa
Spots
aa
No
Spots
Girelephant:
AA
Tall
Aa
Tall
Aa
Tall
aa
Short
AA
Short
Neck
Aa
Short
Neck
Aa
Short
Neck
aa
Long
Neck
Offspring: A New Species Is Born
Girelephant Genetics Trait Key
#
Trait
Homozygous
Heterozygous
Homozygous
Dominant
Aa
Recessive
AA
aa
1
Body Type
Tall and Thin
Tall and Thin
Short and Stocky
2
Body Coat
Spotted Fur Coat
Spotted Fur Coat
Solid Folded Rough Skin
3
Color
Gray
Gray
Brown/Tan
4
Feet
Elephant Feet
Elephant Feet
Hoofed Feet (12 in)
5
Teeth
No Tusk
No Tusk
Tusk
6
Tail
4 Foot
4 Foot
8 Foot
7
Eyes
Small/ Side
Small/ Side
Large/ Side
8
Sex
Female
Female
Male
9
Nose
Trunk
Trunk
Giraffe Nose
10
Ears
Floppy Ears
Floppy Ears
Little Ears
11
Weight
1500-3000 lbs
1500-3000lbs
6000-15000lbs
12
Front Legs
8 feet
8 feet
6 feet
13
Back Legs
5 feet
5 feet
8 feet
14
Tongue
18 inches
18 inches
6 inches
15
Skull
Honeycomb Shape
Honeycomb Shape
Horn-Like Shape
16.
Neck
Long
Long
Short
Adaptations and Evolution of the Calf
Habitat: The best climate for the Girelephant
calf (Luther) is the desert in Africa.
Adaptations:
• The short and stocky body and a spotted gray
fur coat helps keep Luther warm and camouflaged
at night in the cool desert. His long neck and legs help
him see his predators from a far distance. His ears and
eyes help him hear predators coming, allowing him to
use his trunk to alert the other members of the herd.
• Luther’s trunk also helps him bathe and drink water.
His long tongue, neck and tusk help him have easy access to
food low on the ground in a log or high up in the trees. The nice
thing about Luther is that he can store water for weeks at a time,
in his hump on his back (which he inherited from his mother) a
crucial adaptation to have in the hot desert climate.