The giraffe is a favorite animal of many people. Everyone loves to see them at the zoo. They are the largest of any mammal and have very attractive markings on them. The giraffe is a very interesting animal to learn about.
People have always honored giraffes. There are many African cave paintings that have these animals in them. Ancient Egyptian art also has giraffe designs. Their tail hairs are used for jewelry and their hide has been used to make things like sandals and ceremonial shields. The Romans called the giraffe a camelopardalis, which means “camel marked like a leopard”. This is where giraffes get their species name, camelopardalis.
Giraffes come from Africa. Because giraffes of this, they are used to droughts and can go for over a month without water! They can reach a height of eighteen feet and can weigh up to 2,800 pounds! Their body is a cream or buff color with irregular brown patches all over. The males are usually larger and darker than the females and also have thicker horns and a lump on the forehead. Both males and females have stiff manes on their necks. Their tongue is between 18 and 21 inches long.
There are nine subspecies of the giraffe: the reticulated or Somali Giraffe, the Angolan or Smoky Giraffe, the Kordofan Giraffe, the Masai or Kilimanjaro Giraffe, the Nubian Giraffe, the Rothschild’s or Baringo or Ugandan Giraffe, the South African Giraffe, the Thornicroft or Rhodesian Giraffe and the West African or Nigerian Giraffe.
The Giraffe’s unique body is a form of adaptation for them to survive. They have extremely long legs and a long neck in order to gather food better. They are herbivores and their height and leathery mouth allow them to reach and eat leaves. Their unique coloration is for their protection.
Giraffes stand up all the time; they even sleep standing up! When they give birth, the baby falls six feet to the ground. When they are born though, they are already six feet tall and can quickly stand up. Baby giraffes can even grow an inch a day!
Giraffes usually live in herds of five to fifteen individuals. There is only one male to a herd. Other males either live alone or in pairs. Giraffes can watch for danger very easily using their height and great senses of smell and eyesight. They actually only sleep for about a half hour a day, but only sleep for five minutes at a time. If they do sense danger, they are very fast animals and can run at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. The lion is their main predator. The giraffe’s heavy hooves are powerful enough to take a lion’s head off though!
The giraffe is an unmistakable, truly fascinating animal unlike anything else. There are so many interesting facts about the giraffe. Unfortunately, this animal is often killed by poachers and their habitat is destroyed a lot. Giraffes have even gone extinct in some countries, including Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Mozambique. Farmers also kill giraffes because they eat their crops. If people aren’t careful, there will be no more giraffes in Africa. We need to protect these animals and their habitats.
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Skateboard Information
Here we have some skateboard information on yer actual skateboard, including all you need to know on them. Here are a few facts guys and gals, dudes and dudesses:
The skateboard deck, that is the flat surface of the skateboard, is normally made out of laminated maple. How thick the skateboard is depends on the number of layers that the deck is made out of. The less experienced skateboarder should be more inclined to pick a thick skateboard for ease of balance.
For your skateboard information, the wheels are more often than not made out of polyurethane, and can be sized between 39 to 66 millimetres in diameter.
The front of the skateboard is called the nose, which comprises of the front truck bolts to the end of the board.
The back of the skateboard is called the tail, which comprises of the back truck bolts back to the end of the board.
The wheelbase is basically the distance between the front and the back wheels.
Most skateboards come with grip tape on them, or skateboarders put tape on them when they buy their board. The grip tape is stuck to the deck, and has an abrasive surface to give the skateboarder plenty grip to the board, so that they will not slip off so readily.
So theres some skateboard information for your delectation. It is not that important that you know this information, the main thing is being able to skate on the thing! But it gives you a feel for your board and what you are dealing with, and ya know what they say, knowledge is power.
Micro-Suede – Information
Suede is a term used to describe leather with a napped finish. Suede leather is made from the under skin of animals like lambs, goats, pigs and deer. Since suede does not include the tough exterior animal skin layer, it has a lower durability but it is softer than standard leather. Due to its properties, Suede finds application in clothing and delicate uses. Suede leather is popular in shoes and upholstery, bags and other accessories. It is also used as a lining material for leather products. The disadvantage of suede is that due to its textured nature and presence of open pores on its surface, it becomes dirty very quickly and may be spoilt if it gets wet. Modern techniques have evolved to make Suede stain-proof and waterproof.
Is there any difference between leather and suede? Which is a better and more comfortable fabric? Which one has a better appearance? We will try to answer these questions here.
Suede and leather actually refer to the same basic material, but the name is applied according to the qualities.
Suede is much softer than leather in texture. Some people thus prefer it over leather. The overall appearance of suede is also more appealing than leather. Because of its s softness and gentleness, suede is less durable than full grain leather. Suede is easily affected by water and other liquid, inclement weather, and other mishaps. Leather, on the other hand, is easy to protect and to clean. When price is taken into consideration, it is found that suede is more expensive than leather. The price differences occur due to suede having a finer appearance and due to the additional time spent to create suede.
When it comes to suede and leather, therefore, it is essentially the same material that is being referred to. The differences in additional production are what account for the different physical characteristics.
Micro-suede is a new micro fiber knit blend fabric which is fast becoming popular. It is made from very fine micro-fibers which are about a hundred times finer than the average human hair. Micro-fibers used, are finer than even silk fibers. These micro-fibers are tightly woven to create a very high quality fabric. The density of the fibers in the fabric provides many desired characteristics that make this ideal for use in making comforter sets.
Micro-suede is also used by furniture manufacturers for their couches and sofas. Customers are ready to pay higher premium for increased comfort which micro-suede cushions and chairs provide. Moreover, when compared to normal suede, micro-suede is easier to clean, and is water resistant. This makes them very good for upholstery. Furniture manufacturers also claim that microsuede is stain resistant and indestructible. This claim has been heavily refuted by users.
Its soft finish and increased stretch makes micro-suede easily distinguishable from normal suede. Common uses of micro-suede are in accessories and shoes. Micro-suede has a lesser durability than suede. Micro-suede as a fabric is gaining popularity among manufacturers due to its properties like softness, stain and resistance and pliability.