|
|
Giraffe Coffee Spoon
10.5cm
312-404 ...... 76 USD
|
The tallest land mammal, the mute, graceful giraffe epitomises the African savanna and acacia woodland.
Elegant, unmistakably African and perfectly adapted to its environment, the visitor to Africa needs to see at least one group of giraffe, awkwardly drinking from a waterhole at dusk. To reach the water, an individual will either bend at the knees, or straddle with straight legs - there seems to be no reason - e.g. family behaviour - why it might choose to do one or the other.
The Giraffe is mostly mute; a mysterious, non-territorial wanderer. The tallest mammal and the largest antelope in the world, its name in Afrikaans (and Latin) is poetic: the ‘leopard camel’. Its English name is derived from the Arabic, ‘xirapha’, meaning ‘fast walker’.
Giraffes are a perfect example of habitat sharing. They eat the topmost layer of browse, leaving the rest for other antelope. Legends about this beautiful creature abound in traditonal culture; the Bushmen for example, credits a giraffe with the feat of stealing fire from the sun, which one day came close enough for the brave creature to reach up and catch.
Both sexes carry tough, fibrous horns. They browse for up to 20 hours a day, using a 45cm tongue to strip the leaves off the treetops.
|
 
|
