4 ms·
giraffes have super long necks and yet they bend over to eat. The answer is runaway sexual selection (or at least that's the answer wrt to giraffes).
by smabie 6y ago
giraffes have super long necks and yet they bend over to eat. The answer is runaway sexual selection (or at least that's the answer wrt to giraffes).
- sib 6y agoGiraffes also reach up to eat. (They do look quite funny when bending down to drink, though!)
- smabie 6y agoI used to live in Tanzania and over there, the trees are mostly shorter than the giraffes, but I'm sure they reach up to eat sometimes. I guess my point was that giraffes didn't evolve long necks to eat.
- mavhc 6y agoThey have long legs to eat, and a long neck so they can still drink while having long legs
- cromulent 6y agoThis centuries-old question is still not settled, right? http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160629-giraffes-did-not-evolve-long-necks-to-reach-tall-trees http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160629-giraffes-did-not-evo...
- halfdan 6y agoThis article confuses me. Why does it make the scientists out to be on opposite sides of the aisle? A giraffe that wins a neck to neck fight is also one that may have better chances of finding food high up a tree when resources are scarce - both can lead to better survival and hence passing of genes. It's not one or the other, it can can be both.