Until now, the theory was commonly accepted that the size of groups of wild animals is greater when the risk of their being attacked by their direct enemies, predators, increases. This is basically due to the fact that the more members that make up the group, the more protected they will be and they will have the easier it is to detect and warn of a danger. However, a new study (the first to investigate this group trend) from the University of Bristol (England) has shown that this assumption was not entirely true, or at least not in the case of giraffes .
This study has been based on observing how the way these animals group together differs from the rest in factors such as the risk of predation, the type of habitat and the characteristics of the individuals that roam around. The type of habitat had notable effects on the size of the ensemble. However, the main change was reflected in the behavior of adult females, who tended to be in smaller groups when they were procreating and had offspring. This last fact refutes another of the popular beliefs by which it was thought that giraffes form large groups for the community care of their young.
Researcher and doctoral student Zoe Muller says that “these data are surprising and reflect how little we know about giraffes, even in the most basic aspects of life. This research adds another important piece to the puzzle of understanding how giraffes live in the wild. ”
Extraordinary animals in danger of extinction
Giraffe populations are estimated to have declined by approximately 40% in the last three decades. Of the survivors, it is believed that just under 98,000 individuals remain at large . These figures have led to the incorporation of the species in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation in Nature and it has been classified as ‘vulnerable’. Experts see this as a valuable step in recognizing the severity of their extinction, and understanding the threats and challenges they face in the wild.
“Giraffes are a threatened species in constant decline in Africa, and this research highlights what an incredibly misunderstood species really is like . We can only manage and conserve giraffe populations effectively if we properly understand their behavior and ecology, which is which we are just beginning to do, ”says Muller.
Another of the popular ideas of society is that giraffes abound in Africa and therefore they are singled out as an indisputable icon of the continent. However, the figures reveal a very different reality, since its decline is progressive and accelerated .
The next step in this research is to expand the project to different areas of Africa , as this study has only been carried out in the eastern part. According to Muller, more research is needed to see if the same effects are seen in other groups of giraffes. The extracted results could be used to understand how habitat alteration and other environmental and social variables can help conserve populations of this species.
Reference: Z.Muller, ICCuthill and S.Harris. “Group sizes of giraffes in Kenya: the in fl uence of habitat, predation and the age and sex of individuals” ZSL Publications (2018). DOI: 10.1111 / jzo.12571
