Giraffes
Giraffes are one of those fascinating animals which you can’t help but smile at. Their appearance is so unusual, and rather comical in many ways, that they’ve become quite iconic. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on the planet, with their trademark long necks. Yet amusingly, their necks are actually too short for them to reach the ground. This is why when giraffes drink, they have to awkwardly do the splits with their front legs!
Although giraffes are very sociable, gentle animals, males will sometimes engage in powerful displays of dominance by battling each other with their long necks! This is called ‘necking’. If you ever saw the giraffe fight on the BBC David Attenborough series of “Africa”, you’ll know how brutal this can be.
“Neck and Neck” – Limited edition giclée print of two giraffes
These prints are produced from an original pastel drawing. The piece aims to capture the comical side we associate with giraffes. They often look like they’re smiling, and those long eye lashes give the impression that they’ve made a special effort to look their best! The ‘sideways chew’ they have when munching on some leaves always make me grin too!
