Giraffes are the tallest of the ruminant artiodactyls and are thus capable of exploiting vegetation that is beyond the reach of competitors such as antelopes. Giraffes are today restricted to Africa where they flourish in areas with abundant year-long browse at levels between 2 and 5.5m.
On this skull you note the protuberances called ossicone that are found in both sexes. Ossicones are covered in skin rather than horn. Ossicones are thought to have a thermoregulatory function however these are used by the males in fighting.
Giraffids are present in the middle to late Miocene faunas of East Africa but only the Sivatherinae, Giraffinae and Okapinae have been recognized in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. The genus Giraffa is not represented in East Africa until the Pliocene.Two species only remain extant, Giraffa camelopardalis and Okapia johnstoni.
