Lynn Sherr begins Tall Blondes this way: “To understand this book, you should know something about me. First, I stand five feet eight inches and have (mostly) blond hair. Second, that I went to Africa for the first time in 1973 and fell in love. With giraffes.” I could have written that with just a couple changes: I am five feet nine inches tall and went to Africa in 2003. Oh, that thing about blond hair—mine is now the work of my hairdresser. Ask anyone who really knows me and they’ll attest to my extreme fondness for those gawky, graceful giants. The large landscaping giraffe that peaks over the reading nook on our deck speaks of that fondness.
In July 2003 Marianne Darr-Norman (a former writer of this column) and I flew to South Africa for three weeks, primarily to offer teachers strategies for teaching young writers. It would have been a crime to travel that far without spending some time exploring the country, so we began our sojourn with three days in Kruger National Park. With Pierre, our driver and guide, we saw large prides of lions, rhinoceroses, warthogs, a serval, elephants of all ages, birds of all colors. None of them compared to the “tall blonde” that seemed to float out of the winter foliage to check us out, large eyes staring from under long black, curled eyelashes. It was, for me, love at first sight. Granted, I had seen giraffes in zoos. None compared to the image of this single giraffe (Giraffa camelopardis—its scientific name, hinting at its camel-like appearance in a leopard’s hide) in its natural habitat, stretching its bluish-purple tongue to strip tender leaves from a thorny acacia tree.
Since that time I have read several books—fiction and nonfiction—and articles about giraffes. I’ve collected a tower (the collective name for a group) of giraffes in wood, plastic, and glass. I have a shelf of children’s books about giraffes and a wall of giraffe images in our study. Two favorite pictures are the one painted by a giraffe (Ozzie at Lion Habitat Ranch, NV) and the other a colorful chalk rendering of a giraffe done by a talented young artist who lives in Ossian (thanks again, Elias).
The giraffe is a fascinating creature. Just as all human fingerprints are distinct, so are the patterns on the coats of all giraffes. No two are the same. The giraffe, of which there are four species and up to nine subspecies, is the tallest mammal in the world (14 to over 18 feet tall); newborns are taller than most humans. Speaking of newborns, their arrival on this planet is startling as females give birth standing up. Mother Earth provides the stimulus to get them breathing as they plummet about 6 feet to the ground. Within an hour they rise to walk on spindly legs.
Giraffes and humans share the same number of vertebral bones in the neck. Though our neck may be even shorter than one of their smaller neck bones, we both have just seven (as do most mammals). As long as it is, the giraffe’s neck is still too short to reach a watering hole. To drink, the giraffe must splay its forelegs and/or bend its knees to lower its head. In this position, giraffes are most susceptible to attack by predators (lions, leopards, hyenas) who frequent the same watering holes.
With a head 7 to 10 feet higher than its heart, the giraffe requires a unique circulatory system. The need for a specialized system is even more apparent when it bends down, in some cases nearly 20 feet, to drink. Consider the feeling you get when from a downward facing position you rise rapidly. Dare I say “dizzy” or “whoozy”? Imagine the giraffe’s dilemma.
I’ll try not to get too technical, but this is too fascinating to let it go unexplained. The giraffe’s heart, two feet long and weighing twenty-five pounds with walls several inches thick, creates the highest known blood pressure in any mammal, 280/180. That heart beats normally at 170 bpm. The elastic walls of very long carotid arteries force blood to the head. Those walls then swell to absorb excess fluid when the head is lowered. In addition, the more than inch-wide jugular veins have a series of one-way valves that prevent back flow when the head is down. And when the giraffe snaps its head up after a satisfying drink or when danger is detected, its massive heart keeps the blood flow constant. (Sherr, Tall Blondes)
Below the heart, the problem is reversed. Just know that its circulatory plumbing is adapted so that blood doesn’t accumulate at the base of the legs, creating swollen ankles. Muscles and skin that fits tightly on its body acting like compression hose (you know what I’m talking about) provide the squeezing necessary to send blood back to the heart. Sherr shared that NASA has even studied the amazing circulatory system of giraffes to design a space suit for prolonged travel.
If you wish to learn more about these captivating creatures, check out the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF). Give your kids or grandkids an assignment to visit the site and share what they learn with you.
Here’s the Thing: As fascinating as they are, giraffes may not be around long enough for others to develop that love I have for them. A recent article in Smithsonian states that a 40 percent decline of the four giraffe species has occurred since 1985. Alex Fox, article author, reports the Nubian giraffe, a subspecies, has lost 95 percent of its population, down to around 3,000 in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya. Destruction of huge areas of savanna by rapidly expanding agriculture and growing human communities has eliminated trees and shrubs that provide sustenance for the long-legged ruminants.
Lynn Sherr ends her informative and well-written book this way. “Of what use is a giraffe? I just like knowing it exists. Sure, I’m biased, but I can’t imagine a world without tall blondes.”
Let’s talk.
annaspalding1956@gmail.com
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Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles written by a group of retired and current teachers — LaNae Abnet, Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Kathy Schwartz, and Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere. You may also voice your thoughts and reactions via The News-Banner’s letters to editor.
