A major plot twist emerges in the story of how giraffe necks stretched out over time.
for swinging around and challenging other giraffes to establish dominance . But the new findings suggest “necking” may be a more recent evolutionary adaption to fighting.The international team led by Shi-Qi Wang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing analyzed the unique structure of the fossils’ headgear and neck joints. They also studied isotope data from preserved tooth enamel that painted a picture of what life was like for the giraffes at the time.
As if finding a miniature giraffe species wasn’t enough, the researchers discovered a unique bone structure in the male’s head and neck. The joints showed the creatures had a thickened vertebrae and skullcap with a hard layer of keratin similar to those seen in modern bulls and rams. Their helmet-shaped heads were ready to both give and receive a bump to the noggin.
Ultimately, the team concluded that the reinforced skull was likely a sexual weapon, used to head bash other males in competition for mates.“It shows that giraffe evolution is not just elongating the neck,” study coauthor Jin Meng, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, told
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