Giraffe-fight! video

This clip of giraffes fighting (basically, bashing their bodies against one another) was shot on safari in Tanzania. It gets pretty vicious. Link (via Neatorama)

[#1 posted by strider_mt2k , September 27, 2007 4:51 AM]

I guess they have to work things out between themselves SOMEHOW.

You do generally think of these creatures as being kinda nice, but then again Hippos look like they'd be cool to hang out with too. -go figure.

[#2 posted by DaveX , September 27, 2007 5:36 AM]

Too bad humans don't have to fight like that-- might slow down violence quite a bit!

[#3 posted by Crash! Bang! , September 27, 2007 6:05 AM]

wow. watching that gave me a headache

[#4 posted by ewan , September 27, 2007 6:18 AM]

Cory may appreciate this: you can see something very similar if you stay in Disney's Animal Kingdom lodge. One morning we looked out from our balcony and watched a very similar giraffe fight a few yards away - of course, our 4 year-old thought that the TV was more interesting...
...cool place to stay.

[#5 posted by xadrian , September 27, 2007 6:53 AM]

I have never seen anything like that. That was startling.

The sounds, the positioning. I've always wondered why giraffe's have horns. It's like they've turned their heads into a sock full of nickels.

I want to watch it again, but I don't think I can. Big things fighting makes me queasy.

[#6 posted by Hunty , September 27, 2007 7:29 AM]

There's a nature park in San Diego where you get to ride a pickup truck out into the park and feed giraffes and rhinos. They told us to make sure to feed the giraffes as far outside of the truck as possible, to keep them from sticking their heads into the enclosed space of the back of the truck, freaking out, and bashing us and the truck with their heads. Apparently they frequently kill lions by doing this.

[#7 posted by Nick Mathewson , September 27, 2007 8:33 AM]

What do giraffes fight about? Hierarchy? Territory? Mates? All of the above?

[#8 posted by dculberson , September 27, 2007 8:48 AM]

They fight over who left the toilet seat up.

I'm siding with the one that wants the lid down.

[#9 posted by Dybbuk , September 27, 2007 9:21 AM]

is that Michael Vick in the back?

[#10 posted by Cory Doctorow , September 27, 2007 9:47 AM]

Ewan@4 -- I stayed there last Xmas, too. The giraffes were totally rad.

[#11 posted by Caroline , September 27, 2007 10:08 AM]

I'm really surprised by the sheer number of giraffe fight videos on YouTube. Who knew it was such a popular video topic?

[#12 posted by bookninja , September 27, 2007 10:16 AM]

I don't know that I've ever seen a more compelling headline than "Giraffe-fight!". How could you not watch? It might as well say "video-based crack".

I kept imagining them huffing and puffing like fat guys between flurries, gasping for air and saying, "'kay, 'kay, just ... gimme a ... sec here..." before having at it again.

[#13 posted by Xeni Jardin , September 27, 2007 11:03 AM]

I'd like to see a double header with this and bumfights. better yet, bums vs. giraffes. (go giraffes!)

[#14 posted by David Jacobs , September 27, 2007 11:36 AM]

Waaa

[#15 posted by Lauren , September 27, 2007 11:59 AM]

The worst (best?) part is the sound it makes when they hit each other.

[#16 posted by Anonymous , September 27, 2007 1:53 PM]

That was pretty impressive.

However, from the first shriek at the beginning, I could tell there was a Japanese lady at the filming. I enjoyed hearing her comment in Japanese about it.

I think she summed up the whole ordeal in the best way any of us can: ouch ouch ouch ouch.

[#17 posted by HenryPootel , September 27, 2007 4:17 PM]

I can imagine dinosaurs doing that...

[#18 posted by Bazilisk , September 27, 2007 5:02 PM]

Necks are for FIGHTING!

I learned about this in a biology class last year. I will have to ask my professor for a link to the actual study. But I know for a fact this hypothesis is legit.

The excuse for why giraffes have long necks is to reach leaves near the tops of trees, right? But if you actually observe them eating, they don't usually eat the leaves up there, opting for leaves closer to 2/3 their height.

Some biologists postulated in the late 80's early 90's that they really evolved such huge necks to compete with other giraffes while fighting.

The males fight over females, and when with a female they fight her in order to mate with her. This behavior is observed all the time. Funny how it's not really popularized that much, no, giraffes aren't peaceful creatures...
and that might be why their necks are so damn huge...

[#19 posted by redandjonny , September 27, 2007 8:10 PM]

Heres a video of ME fighting a Giraffe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otE9O8hIIBY

[#20 posted by redandjonny , September 27, 2007 8:14 PM]

and yes...We're the same redandjonny who wear the stormtrooper helmets.

[#21 posted by online leren , January 24, 2008 7:57 AM]

wauw, that is quite bizar
regards
Bob