NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The tallest living land animal, a giraffe stands between 4.5 and 5 metres tall – and almost half that height is neck. Most people assume that giraffes’ long necks evolved to help them feed. If you have a long neck, runs the argument, you can eat leaves on tall trees that your rivals can’t reach.

Detailed explanation-2: -According to Lamarck, the giraffe got its long neck because its ancestors stretched theirs to eat leaves that were just out of reach. This stretching of the neck was passed on to their offspring, over generations, until it reached its current length.

Detailed explanation-3: -Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), as African megaherbivores, are the tallest mammals, with both long necks and legs. Its neck is the longest on any extant animal at around 2–3 meters in the largest males [1].

Detailed explanation-4: -It appears obvious: the giraffe’s neck, which can grow to as much as two metres in length, has been selected because it gives its owner exclusive access to the topmost leaves of the trees, and no other animal can reach them. This, then, is an adaptation designed to avoid competition for food with other animals.