Giraffes Could Have Evolved Their Long Necks For a Surprising Reason

You probably think you know how giraffe neck evolve . Maybe the ascendent of giraffes ate parting from tree , and the ones who could turn over the most leave-taking were the fittest , and therefore pass on that trait down to the punch-drunk looking long - neck creature we see today . But scientists do n’t be intimate that — in fact , there are at least six hypotheses as to how and why giraffes got their long necks .

A squad of scientist amount up with yet another explanation , one that falls in line with the camelopard ’s power to outlive in desiccated environments : perchance the giraffe has a long cervix to modulate heat . But the account is a complex one that required performing some giraffe math ( oh , I care how that roll out off the glossa ) .

“ So far there has only been one attempt to quantify giraffe surface surface area and this was in the setting of influence buoyancy and potential swimming ability not thermoregulation , ” the writer write in the paperpublished recentlyin the Journal of Arid Environments . Perhaps the increased aerofoil area relative to mountain result from a long neck opening has something to do with temperature regulation in giraffes . Perhaps .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Mass computing are easy — just weigh the beast . But how do you calculate the surface area of a giraffe ? “ We subdivided the open of giraffes into four components – the headway , neck , luggage compartment and upper legs , and lower pegleg , ” the authors write , based on data from 30 male and 30 distaff specimen . The team really used some simple high - school tier maths and estimation to get in at their answer : On fair , a camelopard ’s surface region is just under 80 square feet , similar to my nestling - sized college student residence room ( open area ranged from 22 to 127 square feet , depending on the camelopard ) .

Turns out , the camelopard ’s does n’t have a control surface area - to - mass proportion that would cue into thermoregulatory welfare . But the authors still cerebrate that maybe the animal ’s foresightful neck opening and branch avail it with oestrus deprivation . Other giraffe demeanour , like positioning themselves so their bodies meet the least potential sunlight during the twenty-four hours , could help in heat loss , too .

The decimal point is , scientists still do n’t really know why giraffe have foresightful necks , and it ’s unlikely there ’s just one mere explanation . alternatively , long neck probably evolved under a combination of pressures , perhaps include access to solid food and thermal regularisation , because evolution is first-rate complex . In this display case , hear to count on affair out has literally driven scientists to valuate the surface domain of giraffes .

William Duplessie