A Giraffe Has The Exact Same Number Of Neck Bones As You
Seven neck bones, two metres of neck, and a heart that weighs eleven kilos.
Which one is REALLY true about the Giraffe?
The short version
A giraffe's neck holds only seven vertebrae, the same as a human. Pumping blood that high needs double our blood pressure and valves to stop the surge when it drinks.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Giraffe has exactly seven neck bones, the same number you have.
- ✓The Giraffe grows neck bones up to twenty five centimetres long each, which is how seven of them make two metres of neck.
- ✓The Giraffe needs a blood pressure roughly twice ours to push blood all the way up to its brain.
- ✓The Giraffe carries a heart weighing about eleven kilograms to pump blood that high.
- ✓The Giraffe has valves in its neck veins and a web of vessels at the base of its skull to soak up the pressure surge when it bends down to drink.
The Giraffe is about 4.5× as long as a 7-year-old! 🤯
The full story
A giraffe has exactly the same number of neck bones that you do. Seven. Yours are a couple of centimetres each. A giraffe's are up to twenty five centimetres long, which is how you get two metres of neck out of only seven vertebrae. But the real problem is not the bones, it is the blood. To push blood up two metres to a brain held that high, a giraffe needs a blood pressure roughly twice ours, and a heart weighing about eleven kilograms to generate it. Which creates a brand new problem. When a giraffe bends all the way down to drink, all of that pressure is suddenly pointed straight at its head. So it has valves in its neck veins, and a web of vessels at the base of the skull that soak up the surge. Follow for more weird animal facts.
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“The Giraffe has exactly seven neck bones, the same number you have.”
“The Giraffe has see-through skin, so you can watch its heart beat through its body.”
“The Giraffe grows neck bones up to twenty five centimetres long each, which is how seven of them make two metres of neck.”