Utente:BlackPanther2013/Sandbox: differenze tra le versioni
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[[File:Giraffe skeleton.jpg|thumb|Scheletro di giraffa in mostra al museo di osteologia di [[Oklahoma City]] ([[Oklahoma]]).]]
Fully grown giraffes stand {{convert|5|–|6|m|abbr=on}} tall, with males taller than females.<ref name="Dagg1971">{{Cite journal|author=Dagg, A. I.|year=1971|title=Giraffa camelopardalis|journal= Mammalian Species|volume=5|pages=1–8|url= http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-005-01-0001.pdf|doi=10.2307/3503830|issue=5|jstor=3503830}}</ref> The average weight is {{convert|1192|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for an adult male and {{convert|828|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for an adult female<ref name="Skinner1990">{{Cite book|author=Skinner, J. D.; Smithers, R. H. M.|year=1990|title=The mammals of the southern African subregion|pages=616–20|publisher=University of Pretoria|isbn=0-521-84418-5}}</ref> with maximum weights of {{convert|1930|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and {{convert|1180|kg|lb|abbr=on}} having been recorded for males and females, respectively.<ref name="OwenSmith1988">Owen-Smith, R.N. 1988. Megaherbivores: The Influence of Very Large Body Size on Ecology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> Despite its long neck and legs, the giraffe's body is relatively short.<ref name=anatomy/>{{rp|66}} Located at both sides of the head, the giraffe's large, bulging eyes give it good all-round vision from its great height.<ref name=Williams/>{{rp|25}} Giraffes see in colour<ref name=Williams/>{{rp|26}} and their senses of hearing and [[olfaction|smell]] are also sharp.<ref name="Prothero 2003"/> The animal can close its muscular nostrils to protect against sandstorms and ants.<ref name=Williams/>{{rp|27}} The giraffe's [[prehensile]] tongue is about {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} long. It is purplish-black in colour, perhaps to protect against sunburn, and is useful for grasping foliage, as well as for grooming and cleaning the animal's nose.<ref name=Williams/>{{rp|27}} The upper lip of the giraffe is also prehensile and useful when foraging. The lips, tongue, and inside of the mouth are covered in [[Taste bud|papillae]] to protect against thorns.<ref name="Dagg1971"/>
[[File:Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata-atTobuZoo-2012.ogv|thumb|
The coat has dark blotches or patches (which can be orange, [[Chestnut (color)|chestnut]], brown, or nearly black in colour<ref name="Prothero 2003"/>) separated by light hair (usually white or [[Cream (colour)|cream]] in colour<ref name="Prothero 2003"/>). Male giraffes become darker as they age.<ref name=estes>{{Cite book|title=The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates|author=Estes, R.|publisher=University of California Press|pages=202–07|year=1992|isbn=0-520-08085-8}}</ref> The coat pattern serves as [[camouflage]], allowing it to blend in the light and shade patterns of savanna woodlands.<ref name= "MacDonald"/> While adult giraffes standing among trees and bushes are hard to see at even a few metres' distance, when moving about to gain the best view of an approaching predator, they rely on their size and ability to defend themselves rather than on camouflage, which appears to be more important for calves.<ref name="Mitchell20003"/> The skin underneath the dark areas may serve as windows for [[thermoregulation]], being sites for complex blood vessel systems and large sweat glands.<ref name=Mitchell2004>{{Cite journal|author=Mitchell, G.; Skinner, J.D.|year=2004|title=Giraffe thermoregulation: a review|journal=Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa: Proceedings of a Colloquium on Adaptations in Desert Fauna and Flora|volume=59|issue=2|pages=49–57|issn=0035-919X|url=http://www.sabinet.co.za/abstracts/royalsa/royalsa_v59_n2_a13.html|doi=10.1080/00359190409519170}}</ref> Each individual giraffe has a unique coat pattern.<ref name=estes/> The skin of a giraffe is mostly gray.<ref name="Skinner1990"/> It is also thick and allows it to run through thorn bush without being punctured.<ref name=Williams/>{{rp|34}} The fur may serve as a chemical defence, as its parasite repellents give the animal a characteristic scent. At least 11 main [[aromaticity|aromatic]] chemicals are in the fur, although [[indole]] and [[3-methylindole]] are responsible for most of the smell. Because the males have a stronger odor than the females, the odor may also have sexual function.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Wood, W. F.; Weldon, P. J.|year=2002|title=The scent of the reticulated giraffe (''Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata'')|journal=Biochemical Systematics and Ecology|volume=30|issue=10|pages=913–17|doi=10.1016/S0305-1978(02)00037-6}}</ref> Along the animal's neck is a mane made of short, erect hairs.<ref name="Dagg1971"/> The one-metre (3.3-ft) tail ends in a long, dark tuft of hair and is used as a defense against insects.<ref name=Williams/>{{rp|36}}
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