Why The Giraffe Got Its Neck
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- Опубликовано: 12 май 2024
- How and why the giraffe's neck emerged in the first place has been a mystery that generations of biologists have argued over - one that has made us reconsider our understanding of how evolution actually works over and over again.
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References: docs.google.com/document/d/1j... 
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My dad, a biologist, taught me a phrase when I was younger that I will never forget; "in biology, if you don't know why a thing happens/exists, it's for sex/reproduction." And so far, it's held true...
Doesnt make sense, how do giant tusks, horns,etc. help in sex?
A giant tongue is enjoyable ...
Heard something similar but it was for 'surface area.'
@@majormononoke8958"if you don't know why a thing happens" we know why large tusk and horns exist. They're mostly used for defense. There is many videos of elephants impaling aggressors with their tusk. And ornamental antlers or horns are used for sex by attracting a mate the same way a peacocks bright feathers do. But with antlers, males fight other males for the right to mate with the female. That's how it helps in sex
@@tyme2067 Whoosh!
@@majormononoke8958 It's not the size, it's how you use it.
PBS Eons is back! And covering my favorite group of mammals! A perfect start to the month.
*cries* I'm so happy y'all are back *cries more happy tears*
its finally back....
Just realized it’s been 2 months
Woot!
What was test that proved lamarkism over darwinism
My grandfather explained it to me this way when I was about four or five: "Well, a giraffe's head is located so far away from its body that it needs such a long neck to connect the two parts together."
LoL
I like how that implies that whatever or whoever depending on what the person believes just kinda popped a head into existence popped a body into existence and instead of just moving it went “you know what, well call it abstract” and went about their day.
'Necks for sex' is something I would never expect in PBS Eons. Welcome back.
Callie is having so much fun with that phrase and it brings me joy.
I learned about the Okapi when researching animals who communicate with low frequencies, infrasound. I knew about elephants and whales and was surprised that cousins Okapi and Giraffe did too. I was teaching the physics of high frequency medical ultrasound imaging. The Okapi is such a stunningly beautiful animal. Such a fun video, loved the super honest ending!
What was the test that proved darwinism over lamarkism
@drstone3418 I googled that exact question: "Genetics showed the inheritance of traits through genes not affected by the outside world as predicted by Lamarck. Darwin could see the effect of genes on natural selection though he did not have any idea that genes existed. Alfred Russell Wallace is also considered a co-discoverer of the natural selection theory."
Hope this helps
Yes, I have no idea why sexual preference is so often overlooked. Some confer and advantage whilst some don't. You'd have thought if long necks were a feeding preference there would be more species with long necks.
I think sexual selection just subjectively comes across as a "lazy answer", sort of like the joke about "ritual objects" in archeology
... that's actually a really good point! 🤔
It's probably cultural. Sex is blasphemous, but survival of the fittest and hierarchy is divine, or so they'd judge
What was the test that proved darwinism over lamarkism. Was the test on mice Or sperm gene expression.
Well, there were a lot of long-necked dinosaurs. One could posit mammals just aren't good at managing the high blood pressure needed for height. Maybe that's the giraffe's real secret to success. Unfortunately, this probably isn't something that fossilizes well.
I believe there were psychological reasons for de-emphasizing the role of sex in evolution. For one, it means you have to discuss sex in public.
@@kirkkerman lol true.
Sexual selection is seemingly so random at times lol. Anything goes, it doesn't have to be practical, just the animal needs to develop a taste for some trait but they are often bizarre random things. I can understand why paleontologists tend to go for explanations away from sexual selection.
just think about how weird human fetishes are and if we evolved for them o.o
so basically, a population group develops a fetish for something and selects for that fetish?
@@captainkirk4271 I'll never understand why we stopped simping for big, brightly coloured butts.
@@elliottsklThat's literally how it works, we find the thing we like sexy because that's what our species developed a taste for
@@elliottskl One interesting finding is that studies have noted that, during times of economic hardship, the sexual tastes and fetishes of men tend to shift towards acts and body parts that are non-procreative. (Feet fetishes, for example, tend to spike during these times.) When times improve, tastes begin to shift back towards more procreative acts and body parts.
I'm dissapointed that the lack of sexual dimorphism in long necks wasn't discussed as part of the critique of the sexual selection hypothesis. I know it isn't a proof either way but it certainly is a factor in these queries and I'm curious what the scientific community says about it.
I was hoping for an answer to that, too. Almost all of the examples of traits gained due to sexual selection are in animals with distinct sexual dimorphism, so it's curious why the giraffe's long neck is on both males and females.
I’m guessing the genes aren’t sex linked, so they’re passed down to all offspring? I’d imagine short-necked females would also need to feed elsewhere, increasing the chances that a long-necked female would end up mating. Idk, just an idea.
I was just about to say something similar - but am curious why there isn't more sexual dimorphism in giraffe lineages. The pronghorn has a little bit
From scouring the literature a bit, there does seem to be some sexual dimorphism, with males having longer necks than females, and additionally longer necks seems to be correlated with number of mates and social hierarchy in giraffes. But yeah, females still have long necks tho, so that's a question thar should be addressed if this hypothesis is to be taken seriously, I feel like.
Dimorphism isn't necessarily connected...
Not all genes will differ based in sex.
Selecting for a sexual trait can affect both sexes.
It's like a red herring, because sexual dimorphism and sexual selection can be independent at the genetic level (and thus phenotypical level).
That's widely visible since most genes are not sexually dimorphic.
Loved this episode! I remember learning about the giraffe neck theories, but they left this one out in class 😂
What was the test that proved darwinism over lamarkism was a test o. Trained mice was mRNA some times falling back maub genome Duplicating genes
Love how entertaining and educational these videos are... and the "credits scene"... hilarious!
I definitely agree that sexual selection probably played a huge role in the development of the elongated neck but what else could a great factor is evasion of predators. Lions (and other feline predators throughout time) are the apex predators of the giraffes habitat and they especially target the neck and hind legs. A taller body structure with an elongated neck that puts the head far away from danger while also making it possible to use the head as a weapon are a great advantage against most predators. Furthermore, the long legs of the giraffe give the advantage of a very powerful kick.
We see today that a whole pack of lions struggles a lot to take down a single giraffe. They can tank quite a lot and defend themselves quite well. So the fighting power they used for sexual selection probably played a role in fighting of predators as well imo.
Good points all around. Adaptions can often have very many factors involved in their appearance.
Another big factor in protection from lions is that being so tall, giraffes are able to spot lions stalking them from much further away than most other prey animals, giving them more time to flee.
This is something TierZoo has taught me. Giraffes are really tough to take down on the Savanna.
Ye this is just so obvious and I dont know why the video have to make things so ambiguous at the “sexual selection” stand alone.
That would explain why female giraffes also have long necks despite the fact that they don’t need to compete for mates as often as males do
It could be a slight combination of the two. For example there could be stretches of time in the past when elephant populations were high and maybe they occasionally wiped out all of the low-lying shrubs and which could put evolutionary pressure on the giraffes. Now i’m seeing that you pretty much address this towards the end of the video lol
What was the test that proved darwinism over lamarkism was it the test on Trained mice was it the discovery that mRNA can sometimes fall back to the main genome Duplicating genes
Lamarckian evolution was disproven long before any of those tools you mentioned were even invented. Gregor Mendel’s characterization of basic genetic inheritance clearly showed a consistent pattern for how traits were inherited, and it did not depend on that organism doing anything in particular during its life. This essentially proved to the scientific community that Darwinian evolution does a much better job at explaining what we see in nature than Lamarckian evolution does.
Totally ignored the real question of "Why are their legs so long"?
Watch a Giraffe drink and you'll NEVER be asking why their necks are "so long". If anything the better question is how they ever survived with necks so short!
What if their necks got long so that they could drink in spite of their long legs🤔🤓
What if both the long legs and long necks give them a better view of potential predators on the horizon? Or am I being dumb?
Their legs got long to reach the ground.
@@AholeAtheist It does, but evolution doesn't "try to do something", it just gives animals stuff to work around, and if it works, the animal gets children who also get that stuff. If it keeps working with the children, it also gets passed down, and so on.
Remember though, it's not "Survival of the fittest", it's "Survival of the good enough". As long as it can get birth and survives long enough to have children, its species will go on.
@@AholeAtheist it at least seems to be a benefit
Much love Callie,it was impossible not laughing at the script with these giraffe and their story ✌️♥🇬🇧
Fascinating video.
You can always create a giraffe video on all the different subspecies (?) of giraffes and their differing coat patterns and how these differences may help in their respective ranges.
Then you can wear your Giraffe Shirt!
That's so interesting! We captured on camera an older and younger bull battle over a female. It's fascinating to see their strategies while having their "necking" fight, and also their behaviour when lions start getting closer.
I am so happy to see you guys back! Now back to watching the video ❤️😀
Finally a Giraffe's origins
The peacock's tail, when startled to take flight, has a design that looks like an elephant charging. My guess is when a predator comes from behind and forces the peacock to take flight, it's met with an appearance of a charging elephant giving the peacock just enough time to accelerate take off for a full flight get-away.
Those neck fights can be vicious, even deadly, especially when the losing individual doesn't want to give up!
I learn so much from you guys! Welcome back, Eons ♡ I hope this new season will be plentiful, I need lots of new episodes 😅
Was craving an Eons episode! Glad to have you guys back!
I just got to hang out with the giraffes at the Nashville zoo, I can’t believe how beautiful they are up close.
Having seen videos of giraffe fighting, this makes sense to me. Not something I would have considered, but definitely makes sense.
I can't explain how much Eons has helped me understand evolution and the thought process behind it. As someone who grew up within the church, access to this information is incredibly hidden for some reason and I think that's a shame. This stuff is fascinating and I don't understand how knowing more about this would shake people's faith to the point that they stop believing God exists. Thank you for expanding my knowledge!
It actually wouldn't, but thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Really would love another video on the way the “headgear” gene was expressed differently in all the giraffe family members
That giraffe rock art gave such meme energy! "No Greg you don't understand it was like, THIS LONG!"
Welcome back, Team Eons!
So glad to have another episode from y'all, I was just thinking it was time to go binge some old ones when I saw this uploaded! Awesome work as always~
Glad you guys are back! Great video thank you
I love her energy so much. Glad Eons is back!
*_So... Are we saying that Sauropods necks were also used for whacking each other in competitions for mates? Because it kinda does seem to imply that that is why they also had long necks!_*
I mean if I recall correctly "Prehistoric Planet" played with this idea!
Some sauropods like apatosaurus and brontosaurus had weird structures that might have looked like spikes on the underside of their long necks, which would have little use beyond weaponry. They could still have been purely decorative, but it sounds likely to be an adaption for intra-species combat.
Are you Italian?
Nuh uh
They're back!
Pachycephalosaurs and Discokeryx are another excellent example of convergent evolution.
Im at work so i cant really watch now but i dropped by because i am so happy that PBS EONS IS BACK!!!
I’d just like to say that PBS Eons has officially cemented itself in my PBS brain.
I can recite the entire list of donors mentioned at the end for both my local PBS station and PBS Eons. Thanks to all the eonites of course. Glad to see Eons is back!
The more we know, the more we learn we don't know.
Nooooooooooo where's the giraffe shirt:(
I was watching some older videos waiting for new uploads and was surprised to see a new video. Welcome back!
You're baaaack. Hooray 🎉. Excellent for content and presentation as usual. Thank you from England. So grateful for these videos.
Protect ya neck!
Haha, they are still doing videos! And not surprisingly, it is still educational.
Can you do a video on pelagornithids?
I’m so sorry about you forgetting your giraffe shirt!! I am a teacher and I also try to theme with my lessons when possible. I understand the heartbreak of forgetting to wear that special piece at the right time!
Loved the editing!
another thing about the giraffe's long neck is a great way to see
predators coming from quite a ways away. it lets other animals
know that there are lions or other predator present in the vicinity.
I was thinking that too.
I think there are a lot of factors involved or you'd see this trait in a lot of "prey" animals, like for example eye placement which is quite different between prey and predator.
The long length of giraffe legs coupled with their long necks also seems to give them a huge advantage in terms of being able to see approaching predators and to survey the local area, similar to how other animals will stand up on their hind legs to get a view (bears, monkeys, prairie dogs, etc.). Could this be another reason to have a long neck?
Being too large for most predators to regularly prey on is a good advantage to have. That could definitely be a factor.
Giraffes have very large eyes and excellent vision, so that also probably contributed.
Plus feline predators tend to kill large prey by biting the neck and head, maybe keeping it high off the ground protected them
long legs also give them a long stride, they can cover quite a distance much quicker than you would think!
I've missed these long-form Eons. Welcome back.
Yay! Eons is back. I have missed this channel so much. Very good episode today.
I need to replay some Planet Zoo.
Personally, I favour the hypothesis for the evolution of the Giraffe neck put forwards in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of novels; namely that Ford Prefect admits to having something to do to with it. Personally, I'd not put anything past that Betelgeusian maniac. Great video though!
There's a frood who really knows where his towel is
Great to see this show finally back. I missed it the past couple months.
Wait I thought they reshot the episode for the giraffe blouse/shirt? How did that saga conclude lol
GIRAFFE SHIRT!!!
FINALLY A NEW VIDEO
That holding on to giraffe shirt but actually forgot to wear it on THE giraffe episode is hilarious.
Very glad to see a vid on giraffidae! I literally spent like an hour yesterday trying to find pics of injanatherium fossils
Samotherium looks like a moose with a giraffe head.
I want to learn about hippos and how they evolved in the water, like whales and dolphins. Hippos are closely related to whales and dolphins because they are evolving in the water during the late Miocene
I'm fascinated by them just because they have such huge mouths and teeth but eat grass only.
@@michaelcorcoran8768But we know they are aggressive if threatened
Yayayay I’m so glad you’re back! And this was so interesting
Her laughter when the joke hit is so precious
it is interesting to know that the neck of giraffes did not evolve for nourishment but for mating, as stated by the "neck for sex" hypothesis. I imagine that any "great-grandchildren" of giraffes in the future that males may have armored sides to give rival males a "tremendous headache"
Just remember this is pretty much conjecture, they don't actually know this is actually why the neck is the way it is.
A hypothesis is just someone guess why something is, truth is not included in a hypothesis.
Is it possible species convergence between two or more genetically compatible species could've caused a long-neck mutation?(As seen in the Liger cross-bread causing gigantism.)
I miss you guys.. welcome back..
Welcome back!!! Y'all were missed the past two months.
WOOHOO! EONS IS BACK! And they are covering some Animals I have at my work! Giraffes!
Wait, if male fighting is considered the main selective pressure, how does fhe paper explain the long necks of females?
I'm just guessing here, I think the long neck genes are passed on regardless of sex, the longer the female's neck, the longer will be the necks of her offspring both male and female and it follows on from that.
I’d imagine it’s because the genes aren’t sex-linked? If long-necked males are having more offspring, they’re gonna end up having long-necked daughters as well.
@@doverthecat6638 maybe. I assumed it was to increase the feeding envelope
I never really thought about giraffe neck lengths to be honest. All of this explanation was very intriguing! Welcome back!
Aaaagh! I thought the channel was becoming defunct! I am so happy to see new work! How can one (with experience) become involved in this production?
YAY PBS EONS
How do you clone a giraffid?
With an okapi machine.
Excellent presentation, informative and fun, and the presenter has a great laugh. Loved it.
It’s so good to see this show back. And talking about giraffes, one of my favorite animals!
Me as an Indian hearing, Bramatherium and Sivatherium😅
Wouldn't we expect males to have a considerably longer neck then?
Males do have absolutely longer necks, because males are larger in general. For there to be a _proportional_ dimorphism as well, there would have to be a linkage to sex chromosomes.
When I used to work 6 days a week 14-16 hour shifts driving for fedex pbs eons was my go to over music after a while you gotta listen to something besides music/ conversations and such lol i didn’t care if i replayed some episodes it’s good to relearn thanks for great content
That ending viewer joke is the best one I’ve ever heard 😂
I feel like there's a fairly obvious possible explanation missing: A long neck gives giraffes a greater field of vision, allowing them to spot predators sooner.
Exactly what I was thinking.
There’s always more than one answer and factor so both being true isn’t that far fetched
@harpybeagle4931 that's exactly right. I don't understand why so many scientists seem to think they're is only 1 cause of something. Evidenced by all the scientific arguments about " I'm right and your wrong".
I always love a new eons episode especially when Kallie is the host. I just love her sense of humor and silliness so much 😂
Eons is back with an amazing opener of an episode, I've been waiting so long for this! Here's to hope we can get one on either the Sauropod hiatus or Asia's quantity of large, nonsauropod herbivorous dinosaurs!
This woman is one of my faves to watch on this channel! More of her pleasee :)) *I just found this channel and have been on a binge hehe
I guess these animals were a neckst generation 🤣
That's a stretch
@@alexnute9818
Nice one....
you've just responded in the neck of time.
Nex for secks?
Sounds like some weird competition. 😆
Fantastic video as always! Love the channel!! ❤
The whole giraffe shirt scene was hilarious and adorable 😂💖
The most birds with one stone is the best joke yet.
It's not a stretch to say this new theory has far-reaching concequenses...
Surely 'necks for sex' would lead to increased sexual _dimorphism_ i.e. only the males would get the crazy long necks? What pressure would there be for females to become long-necked?
Not necessarily. Peafowl show sexual dimorphism, but peahens are quite showy for pheasant relatives.
i think the females will get the long necks too, since every generation will have 1 parent with a long neck
@@tomhalla426even though peahens may be more showy than other fowl, they are still far leas showy than peacocks, and it is the difference in appearance that is important here
Since having a long neck is actually beneficial to giraffes outside of fights to get a mate, there is no reason why the females should not have the trait too.
I totally agree here. This was my first thought. I can’t think of any animal trait that has evolved for mating purposes to not have some degree of sexual dimorphism. To propose this “necks for sex” theory without even so much as a mention of sexual dimorphism seems to me like lazy reporting and bad science.
Great episode! Also the “blooper” at the end 😆
Thank you for coming back!
And to think there was a period where Lamarckian and Darwinian theories of evolution were competing neck-and-neck!
Geraf
The first time I saw footage of fighting giraffes it totally freaked me out.
Eons is back!!!!!!!!! I’ve been going stir crazy without my geology and natural history fix!
I love the explanations from media. In the Owl House giraffes are from the demon realm and were banished to earth for being freaks. In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series some characters get sent back and time and giraffes are the result of one character getting bored and deciding to become solely responsible for the giraffe's neck shape.
Ancient Giraffe: I fancy a nice long member to impress the ladies.
Evolution: Your wish is my command.
(evolution makes giraffe's neck grow)
Ancient Giraffe: WTF?
Ancient lady Giraffe: Dang, that guy's hot!
Welcome back guys! I really needed another fix for an episode! 🙌🏼
I’m so glad you’re back. I was getting worried.
Like most insane people all I’m hearing in this is evidence for my own personal theory. Trex had little wings is my theory.
Erbivore. Erbivore. Why does everyone, even Americans, say the F-ing H in in Herbivore. What do Herbivores eat? Herbs! How do we Americans say "herbs." WITHOUT THE H. WHY?!? Why do you all do this?!?!
Because people pronounce things differently. Not something to get mad about
Because idk people say things differently? It's kinda cringe to police pronunciation in our day and age, as if literary norms are not merely descriptive. You got what she's saying? Good. End on that
What? English spelling being consistent?
All part of the hilarious mish-mash that is the English language and it's global variations. Dropping the "h" in "herbs" is a particular US regional variation which is no more or less "correct" than other dialects. As someone from the UK, a lot of US pronunciations sound "wrong" (Aluminium, Leicester, Nuclear and dropping the h in herb!) even though they can be traced back to common english usage when the Americas were first colonised. For instance, calling Fall "Autumn" is an English affectation adopted in the Victorian era - the US word is more etymologically "correct". (My favourite channel for where English as she is spoke comes from is @Robwords)
When it comes to natural history I'd go for WWDAS :D ("What would David Attenborough say").
I'm American. I say herbivore, herbivorous, herbivory, and herb all the same way. H-less. 😂 Of course, I may be the only one, and once I die, H-less herbi pronunciations may go extinct in this population.
THE DISCOKERYX I ADORE THEM SO MUCH AAA
What an amazing video!! It's fascinating just like culture, it's not SOLELY by the environment but other less physical factors. This was a wonderful video!
That LAUGH at the end!! 🤣