Why does the giraffe have a long neck?
We thought it was just food, but latest research suggests sexual selection plays a role as well
Welcome to another edition of the newsletter. Every Wednesday I share news that I find interesting from the world of science and academia. I do my best to write small explanations about them and start a discussion. If you found this newsletter online and want to get them right in your inbox you can subscribe using the cute button below! It’s free!
It has been a crazy week but the good news is that starting next week, I’ll have more time to create better content for the newsletter and podcast so that’s great! This week I read so many exciting things about better sleep health and mental health for people that share their beds with a partner, and the gene mutations that dogs have that make them friendly. However, what draw my attention the most had to do with giraffes and their evolution.
The article caught my attention because I thought that the question had been answered in the past. But, it was interesting to me to see new theories being tested and to see how paleontologists look for evidence in different areas to test their hypotheses. So this week our main focus will be those cute little animals with
very long necks that can be quite mean to each other.
Wait, I thought it was food…
Well, you would be right! What we were taught in school was that early giraffes stretched their necks higher and higher to get at the higher leaves so over the years the animals evolved into having those long necks we all are familiar with. However, some years ago a group of researchers decided to propose a different kind of evolutionary choice that would change our textbooks a little bit. What if the giraffe evolved to have that long neck so that it can use it to attack foes better?
Yep, giraffes use their necks to attack… you don’t believe me? Here’s a video:(just a heads up, I found it slightly disturbing the first time I saw it. There is no blood or something grotesque involved but it just looks weird so… be prepared)
We generally protect our neck as it is very useful and fragile. Not the giraffe. The giraffe will swing that neck and try to hit a home run.
What is the evidence?
I was curious to understand what would make the field of… giraffology (yep that’s a thing) adapt their theories and include that attack mechanism as part of the evolution of giraffes. Well, according to their paper published early in June, an early giraffe (17 million years ago) that was discovered in China had a thicker skull, and some vertebrae were thicker and more complicated than any other mammal. When they used those findings to construct a model they realized that there would be one more way of explaining that anatomy. Fighting capabilities. Why would those cute animals fight? Well, the most evidence we have about males fighting each other in the animal kingdom is for sexual prowess.
So while the working theory of giraffes having those long necks because of food might still be true, this new evidence adds another mechanism that explains why their necks are shaped and structured the way they are.
It’s all about that sexual selection…
Charles Darwin published a book in 1871 entitled “The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex” and with that book the sexual selection part of evolution was mostly overlooked with natural selection being the dominant mechanism of evolution. The reason why it was overlooked was that sexual selection had 2 different components, male-male competition, and female choice. The female choice was not very well understood thinking it required some sort of aesthetic criterion. However, we now know a little bit better since in most species females try to choose the most dominant male hoping that their offspring will have the same traits. Hence, giraffes tried to see who is the alpha male by bashing themselves with their necks in competition. The article from Nautilus has a lot more details about sexual selection and the evolution of species. I strongly suggest that you give it a read since it’s very interesting.
Positive news of the week
In this section, I’m trying to share some positive news that I read this week. Nothing against giraffes and their flail-like necks but I was looking for something more uplifting. A farmer in New South Wales managed to give his farm a second life after deciding to plant more than 15000 trees in shelterbelts. Shelterbelts are lines of trees that protect enclosures. The farmer managed to revitalize the area and saw a great rise in his production and an increase in biodiversity. As the man said, “It is a lot of work… but the results are terrific”. Things that have terrific results, usually require a lot of work. But hey… it’s most definitely worth it!
Any more news this week?
People in academia are constantly coming up with new and exciting things so if you need more to quench your curiosity here are some more headlines.
Walking found to reduce pain and slow damage in arthritic knees, by New Atlas
Scientists wrap robotic finger with 'living human skin' that can heal itself, by ABC
That’s all for this week! I hope that the rest of the week will be calm and rewarding. Did you like this newsletter? If you did you can subscribe to it at the top of the page and why not share it around using this sexy little button here
If you have any questions, suggestions, or something you want to talk about why not write a comment right below here! That’s the easiest way for us to communicate!
Until next week… take care and be kind [=