Date: May 18, 2018
Source: University of Bristol
New research from the University of
Bristol has highlighted how little we know about giraffe behaviour and ecology.
It is commonly accepted that
group sizes of animals increase when there is a risk of predation, since larger
group sizes reduce the risk of individuals being killed, and there are 'many
eyes' to spot any potential predation risk.
Now, in the first study of its
kind, Bristol PhD student Zoe Muller from the School of Biological Sciences has
found that this is not true for giraffes, and that the size of giraffe groups
is not influenced by the presence of predators.
Zoe Muller said: "This is
surprising, and highlights how little we know about even the most basic aspects
of giraffe behaviour."
This study investigates how the
grouping behaviour of giraffes differed in response to numerous factors, such
as predation risk, habitat type and the characteristics of individuals.
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