I forget the scientific term, but I remember that humans (and I would suppose other mammals as well, at least) have bundles of nerves located in the spine that

I forget the scientific term, but I remember that humans (and I would suppose other mammals as well, at least) have bundles of nerves located in the spine that can force muscles to react immediately based on certain stimuli, like pain. If I accidentally grab a hot object, my brain doesn't even come into the equation until I've already dropped it. The knee-taps that we all got as kids that make your leg jerk are a form of this reflex, and I remember it being really important for keeping your balance without even having to think about it. I would presume it's the same for giraffes. If something bites an ankle, the signal probably doesn't have to go all the way to the brain and back. If one leg senses a loss of balance, it should reflexively act to maintain balance. I'm sure the researchers are all well aware of this, but I'm surprised that the article makes it out to be that we can't understand how giraffes can even walk. If anybody knows why reflexes wouldn't apply to giraffes, I'm curious to know it.