Giraffes are the tallest living land animals, the largest existent ruminants, and one of the most eye-catching members of African wildlife. They’re an animal that guests from all over the world are most excited to see, and we’re lucky enough to see them on the majority of our game drives. It comes as a big surprise then, that little research has plunged into the complexities of the giraffe species.

In an ecosystem full of trumpeting elephant matriarchs and fast-paced cooperative lion hunts, it makes sense that the complexities of giraffe sociality have been harder to spot, says Kim VanderWaal, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota who has studied their social structure.

In the last 10 years, efforts have increased to understand these towering creatures, specifically regarding how their social organisation is much more advanced than we once thought.

Traditional thoughts?

Traditionally, giraffes have been considered to have little or no social structure, and only fleeting, weak relationships. I very much also believed this as it’s stated in most textbooks and because of the noticeable daily fluidity in their group composition.

Giraffes are said to be non-territorial and sociable, living in loose open herds. At a given moment a giraffe may be in a herd composed of all males, all females, females and young, or of both sexes and all ages – or alone if it is a mature bull or cow guarding a new calf. There are no leaders and minimal coordination of herd movements. There is very little structure to a group of giraffes.

It is believed that giraffes have loose social structures known as temporary associations. Within a period of hours, the individuals making up a group will fluctuate and no lasting bonds exist between members.

New and exciting evidence!

I recently came across a paper published in 2021 in the Mammal Review journal by  Zoe Muller. She explains that as experts have begun to pay closer attention to these lanky icons, a different social picture has begun to emerge, unlike the traditional one I mentioned earlier.

“It is baffling to me that such a large, iconic and charismatic African species has been understudied for so long,” said Muller.

In the study, two hypotheses were tested:

1. Giraffes have a complex cooperative social system

This idea was exhibited by a few behaviours: First, stable groups of females stay together. Second, offspring stay in their natal group for part (males, who will move off at around three years of age) or all of their lives (females). Third, there is support by non-mothers in rearing young and lastly, there are non-reproductive females in the group.

2. Giraffes form matrilineal societies

Evidence for this was found by looking at male dispersal from herds, female philopatry (I will explain this in a little bit), assistance in raising or protecting offspring, and individual benefits gained from social foraging.

In this blog, I will dive a little deeper into one behaviour in each hypothesis that struck me the most. Namely, the presence of non-productive females in the herd (in the first hypothesis) and female philopatry (in the second hypothesis).

 The presence of non-productive females

What do non-reproductive females have to do with anything?

Well, results showed that giraffes spend up to 30% of their lives in a post-reproductive state. This is similar to other species with complex social structures and cooperative care, such as elephants and killer whales. In these species, it has been proven that post-menopausal females offer survival benefits for related offspring.

In mammals – including humans – this is known as the ‘Grandmother hypothesis’: it proposes that females live long past menopause so that they can help raise succeeding generations of offspring, thus safeguarding the preservation of their genes.

The most well-known example of a matriarchal society in the bushveld is the African elephant. The matriarch mother (who is often the oldest and largest female) is the backbone of the elephant family and is responsible for defending and looking out for each family member. And, just like our mothers, they impart an abundance of knowledge they have acquired throughout their long lives.

The researchers suggest that the presence of post-reproductive adult female giraffes could also function in the same way, and supports their claim that giraffes engage in cooperative parenting, along matrilines, and add to the shared parental care of related calves.

Female Philopatry

Philopatry 

adjective Zoology

(of an animal or species) tending to return to or remain near a particular site or area.

Along with giraffes, most female mammals show high levels of philopatry. Female home ranges are smaller than those of males and their ranging patterns indicate habituation within a defined area, even in unfenced ecosystems, whereas males exhibit dispersal and migration. As adult females establish stable groups within a specified area or home range, repeated interactions are promoted with known individuals, forming a “friendship” of sorts.

Close and stable associations offer benefits to each individual, such as accessing knowledge about food availability, early detection of predators, and increased reproductive success.

Why is it important to research animal behaviour more? 

It came as quite a shock to me how little research had gone into giraffes before the last decade. Recognising that giraffes have a complex cooperative social system is important as it will broaden our understanding of their conservation needs. If we understand giraffes as a highly socially complex species, this grows their ‘status’ towards being a more intelligent mammal that is worthy of protection.

“I hope that this study draws a line in the sand, from which point forwards, giraffes will be regarded as intelligent, group-living mammals which have evolved highly successful and complex societies, which have facilitated their survival in tough, predator-filled ecosystems,” says Muller.