Giraffe - giraffe (English spelling)

Japanese: キリン - きりん（英語表記）giraffe

An animal of the order Giraffidae, order Artiodactyla, class Mammalia. Also known as giraffe. Originally, "kirin" was an imaginary animal in China, and the Chinese name for the real giraffe is "long-necked deer." It is thought to have evolved from a common ancestor with deer, and the okapi ( Okapia jhonstoni) is in a similar lineage.

Giraffes vary greatly depending on their habitat, and are divided into 5 to 13 subspecies by scholars, but some of the most well-known are the reticulated giraffe G. c. reticulata , the Masai giraffe G. c. tippelskirchi , the Nubian giraffe G. c. camelopardalis , and the Uganda giraffe G. c. rothschildi . They are distributed from Sudan and Somalia, south to the Republic of South Africa and west to northern Nigeria.

[Shiro Nakagawa]

form

It is the tallest land mammal, reaching a shoulder height of 3.6 meters and a head height of 5 to 5.5 meters. Males weigh 800 to 900 kilograms and females 550 kilograms. The length of the neck and forelimbs are almost the same, and the back drops sharply from the shoulders to the waist, with the weight being concentrated on the forearms. The tail has a tuft of hair and bristles that reach a length of 30 centimeters. Both sexes have horns, which are covered with hairy skin and the number of horns varies depending on the subspecies, from 2 to 5. The horns grow in one pair on the top of the head, one in front of the horns, and one pair at the back of the head. The eyes are large and positioned on both sides, the lips are highly mobile, and there is a long tongue that reaches up to 50 centimeters. The body is yellowish-white in color, with chestnut, sand, reddish brown, and other angular and star-shaped spots of various sizes, which give the yellowish-white lines a mesh-like appearance. The skin is about 1 centimeter thick, but is dense, hard, and resistant to damage.

[Shiro Nakagawa]

Ecology

They live in sparsely wooded grasslands and semi-desert areas, and form small groups consisting of an adult male and two or three females and their calves. They feed on acacia leaves and other plants using their long tongues and mobile lips, but also eat shrub leaves and grasses, and drink water by opening their front legs wide and lowering their necks. Although giraffes have excellent eyesight and hearing, they rarely make any noise. They may vocalize occasionally during birth or when young, but their sound is a low, wide-ranging "mooo" sound similar to that of a cow. They run in a way known as "pacing," moving their front and back legs simultaneously on each side and running at about 50 kilometers per hour. They do not have a particular breeding season, and go through a repeated estrus cycle that lasts about one month. The gestation period is about 450 days, and one calf is born per litter. The newborn calf stands up about 30 to 60 minutes after birth and immediately begins to suckle. The calf weighs about 70 kilograms and has a head height of 1.7 to 1.9 meters. The nursing period is about six months, but from five months onwards they begin to eat some grass and leaves. They are capable of breeding from three or four years of age, and at Tama Zoo in Tokyo there have been cases of young cubs breeding after the age of 20. Their normal lifespan is 20 to 25 years.

[Shiro Nakagawa]

Reticulated Giraffe
Distributed in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. It has large reddish brown spots and a beautiful mesh of yellowish white lines. Its head height is 500-550cm, shoulder height is about 360cm, and its weight is 550-900kg. ©Shogakukan ">

Reticulated Giraffe

Masai Giraffe
Distributed in Kenya and Tanzania. The markings are irregular star-shaped and pale chestnut brown. Head height 500-550cm, shoulder height about 360cm, weight 550-900kg ©Shogakukan ">

Masai Giraffe

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱偶蹄(ぐうてい)目キリン科の動物。別名ジラフ。元来「麒麟」は中国における想像上の動物で、実在種のキリンの中国名は「長頸鹿」である。シカ類と共通の祖先から分化したものと考えられ、近い系統にオカピOkapia jhonstoniがいる。

　キリンは生息地によって変異が多く、学者により5～13亜種に分けるが、代表的なものとして、アミメキリンG. c. reticulata、マサイキリンG. c. tippelskirchi、ヌビアキリンG. c. camelopardalis、ウガンダキリンG. c. rothschildiなどが有名である。分布はスーダン、ソマリアから、南は南アフリカ共和国、西はナイジェリア北部までである。

［中川志郎］

形態

陸生哺乳類中もっとも背の高い動物で、肩高3.6メートル、頭頂高5～5.5メートルに達する。体重は雄で800～900キログラム、雌で550キログラム程度である。頸(くび)と前肢の長さはほぼ同じで、背は、肩から腰にかけて急に低くなり、体重は前躯(ぜんく)に偏っている。尾には毛の房があり30センチメートルに及ぶ剛毛が生えている。角(つの)は雌雄ともにあり、有毛の皮膚で覆われ、数は2～5本と亜種によって差異がある。角の生える部位は、頭頂部に1対、その前方正面に1本、後頭部に1対である。目は大きく左右に位置し、唇は可動性に富み、50センチメートルに及ぶ長い舌がある。体色は黄白色の地肌に、栗(くり)色、砂色、赤褐色などの大小さまざまの角状斑(かくじょうはん)や星形斑があり、このため黄白色の線が網目状にみえる。皮膚は厚さ約1センチメートルであるが、緻密(ちみつ)で硬く傷つきにくい。

［中川志郎］

生態

樹木のまばらな草原地帯や半砂漠地帯に生息し、成長した雄と2、3匹の雌、およびその子からなる小群を形成する。アカシアの葉などを、長い舌と可動性の唇を利用して採食するが、低木の枝葉、草なども食べ、水は前肢を大きく左右に開いて頸を下げて飲む。視覚、聴覚に優れているが、キリン自体はほとんど声を出さない。出産のときや幼時に、まれに発声することがあるが、ウシの鳴き声に似た「モォー」という低く幅広い声である。走法は、いわゆる「ペーシング」とよばれるもので、片側ずつの前後肢を同時に動かし、時速50キロメートルほどで走る。繁殖期はとくになく、およそ1か月の発情周期を繰り返す。妊娠期間は約450日で、1産1子。新生子は出産後30～60分ほどで起立し、すぐに哺乳する。子の体重は約70キログラム、頭頂高は1.7～1.9メートルである。哺乳期間はおよそ6か月であるが、5か月過ぎから草や木の葉を若干食べるようになる。繁殖可能年齢は3、4歳からで、東京都の多摩動物公園では20歳を過ぎてもなお繁殖した例がある。寿命は通常20～25年。

［中川志郎］

アミメキリン

マサイキリン

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

<<: Kirin - Giraffe

>>: Cyrillic alphabet - Kirillumoji (English notation) Кириллица/Kirillitsa