Walking uphill is harder for everyone, but have you ever wondered how tricky it is for giraffes? Being so big and a bit clumsy, giraffes might really struggle in hilly places! JESSICA GRANWEILER and her team, from the University of Manchester (UK) and the University of the Free State (South Africa), have been studying if giraffes prefer flat areas and what slopes are too steep for them to climb. Knowing this can help us understand better what kind of environment is important to giraffes and protect them by making sure they have the right safe spaces to live.

Jess' passion for giraffes and their behaviour started after an internship in the Limpopo region in South Africa, where she studied giraffe social behaviour. After that she promised herself that she would be part of the research team that works in this iconic species! In 2021, she started her PhD on giraffes, researching how they adapt their behaviour and physiology to challenges in their natural environment, such as hilly terrain, human activity and seasonality in food. "Giraffes are an iconic species of the African landscapes, and the fact that we are still discovering key facts about their behaviour and ecology is crazy to me!"

See you on Saturday, February 15th! Not a member of the Junior Giraffe Club? Join today for FREE.