What are ossicones used for?

What are ossicones used for?

Similar to species that possess horns or antlers, male giraffes use their ossicones as a weapon during combat where they use their heads as clubs with the ossicones concentrating the force of impact onto a small area. Ossicones also add weight to the animal’s head, allowing it to deliver heavier blows.

What are a giraffe’s horns for?

Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use their horns to sometimes fight with other males. Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period! They often achieve that in quick naps that may last only a minute or two at a time.

What is a giraffe’s habitat?

Where do giraffes live? Most giraffes live in grasslands and open woodlands in East Africa, especially in reserves such as the Serengeti National Park and the Amboseli National Park. Some are also found in the reserves of Southern Africa.

What are those things on giraffes’heads called?

They are definitely not antenna – the Serengeti is not (as far as we know) wired for giraffid telecommunications. They are called ossicones – and giraffes are born with them. This sounds as if it may cause problems to the mother giraffe (called a cow) when giving birth.

What kind of horns does a giraffe have?

Giraffe Horns. The heads of both male and female giraffes have a pair of hair-covered horns called ossicones, which are permanently covered by skin and ending in a tuft of black hair. Male giraffes use their horns to playfully fight with one another. The horns of male giraffes are larger than those of female giraffes, growing up to 25 …

Why do giraffes never lose their hair on their horns?

This is because males establish dominance by fighting with other males, which is called necking, and the hair on top of the horns often gets torn off. Females don’t fight, so they never lose the hair on their horns.

Why does a giraffe have a lump on its forehead?

The researchers think that the primary function of these ossicones is related to body thermoregulation, but they are also effective for battles between males. Some develop a lump on the forehead that has the appearance of a third ossicone, and one species looks like having five of them.

Why do giraffes have ossicones?

Both male and female giraffes have horn-like knobs on top of their heads called ossicones. Made from ossified cartilage and covered with skin, ossicones are thought to help giraffes to regulate their body temperature and are also used in combat between males.

Why do giraffes have horns?

A best guess is that the giraffe’s “horns” were originally support structures for their antlers — sockets that supported the large racks which deer find so handy during mating season in their tests of strength and dominance. To speculate a bit, as giraffes grew taller, and their necks thinner,…

How many horns does a giraffe have?

Most giraffes have two to four horns, but some have five, the fifth, sometimes just a knob, being located in the center of the forehead. A final interesting fact about giraffes is that there are a variety of very distinct types, which were formerly treated as different species.

What are giraffe horns called?

The horns on the Giraffe’s head is called ossicones. (Also called horns) Some believe the horns are cooling towers and release heat. Others think that it’s just a way to protect their heads.