Scientists have already concluded why the long neck of the giraffe is advantageous: it gives giraffes a higher vantage point to watch out for danger and to reach vegetation.  It also provides a large surface area to regulate body temperature.

But the question of how the giraffe’s physiology allows for such a large distance from its heart to its head has been the focus of a new study. For many years, scientists assumed that giraffes’ long necks were made possible by an abnormally large heart that could pump blood two meters up their necks into their heads.

The recent study by Professor Graham Mitchell from the Centre of Wildlife Studies in Onderstepoort, South Africa proves otherwise. His team has found that the giraffe’s heart is actually smaller than the hearts found in similar-sized animals.  However, the walls of the heart are much thicker, which makes for a more powerful pump.  In this way, a giraffe’s blood pressure is quite high, but it is physically adapted to handle this heightened state.

For more information about the study, see BBC Earth News.

To learn more about giraffes, read Animal Fact Guide’s article: Giraffe.

A National Geographic photographer gets up close and personal with leopard seal. The seal continually attempts to feed him penguins which he has no interest in eating.

AP Photo/Anupam Nath

Officials in India recently made the decision  to move all elephants currently living in Indian zoos and circuses to protected wildlife parks. The decision came after complaints from animal activists about the elephants’ confined living conditions, as well as increasing evidence about the shortened lifespan of elephants living in captivity. In the wildlife parks, the elephants would have a larger space to roam.

For more info, see: AP.

Photo: Marian Brickner

A female baby bonobo was born November 6 to Kuni of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.  Delfi Messinger, the Director of Animal Programs, said of the 24-year-old mother, “She seems so proud, and shows her baby to the ‘aunties’ in the group, as well as to her human caretakers.”

In the wild, bonobos live in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Sharing 98.5% of the same DNA as humans, they embody a profound intelligence and a deep emotional capacity. To learn more about bonobos, see Animal Fact Guide’s article: Bonobo.

To learn more about Kuni and her new baby, visit Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

The brown pelican has faced many threats in the last hundred years.  At the brink of extinction in the early 1900s,  brown pelicans were hunted for their feathers. In the 1970s, their populations struggled again due to the chemical DDT which weakened their eggs so they cracked prematurely.  In recent years, they faced Gulf Coast oil spills and Hurricane Katrina.  But finally, federal officials say the brown pelican population has recovered enough to be removed from the endangered species list.

To learn more, see: LA Times.

Photo: Lincoln Baker

Two puggles, or baby echidnas, have made their first public appearance at the Perth Zoo in Australia today. The babies’ names are Moa and Kain.

Echidnas have proven difficult to breed in zoos with only 13 echidnas ever born in captivity in Australia. Zoo keepers have learned that precise temperature regulation is key to breeding success.

In the wild, female echidnas develop a pouch during mating season (July-August). After mating, she will dig a burrow and lay one soft, leathery egg into her pouch. After 10 days, the puggle will hatch and attach itself to a milk patch inside her pouch. After 8-12 week of nursing inside the pouch, the puggle will develop spines and must vacate the pouch. But the juvenile will still stay inside the burrow for the next 6 months and continue to suckle.

To learn more about Moa and Kain, see: PerthNow.

To learn more about echidnas, see Animal Fact Guide’s article: Short-beaked Echidna.

When the crew of a Japanese trawler tried to rein in their net filled with dozens of Nomura’s jellyfish, the boat capsized, and the men were cast into the water.  Luckily, another trawler nearby rescued the crew.

One of the largest species of jellyfish, a Nomura’s jellyfish can weigh up to 200 kg (~440 pounds) and can measure up to 2 m (~6.5 feet) in diameter. Scientists believe that the weather and water conditions this spring allowed for optimum breeding of the giant jellyfish off the coast of China.  They also hypothesize that the high numbers of Nomura’s jellyfish reflect a decrease in population of their predators, such as sea turtles and fish.

For more info: The Daily Telegraph

This past Halloween, an event was held in Denver, Colorado that set a Guinness World Record and raised money for the much endangered mountain gorilla.

The Denver Gorilla Run featured a 3.5 mile road race where all the participants wore gorilla suits. They set the record for Most People in Gorilla Suits with 1061 participants. The race also raised money for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund, which is dedicated to the protection of mountain gorillas and their habitat.

To learn more about mountain gorillas, see Animal Fact Guide’s article: Mountain Gorilla.