Скачать или смотреть See large male Giraffe drink at waterhole in South Africa. Easier for predator attack in this pose

I shot this 4k video at Pilanesberg, South Africa
In that awkward position with legs wide apart, Giraffes are most prone to attack by predators as their neck is exposed and they can't get back to normal position quickly.
Earlier this giraffe had spent a lot of time at the waterhole scouting for predators. Only after it was convinced it was safe, it started drinking.
Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs may prey upon giraffes.
You can see on the right a grey go away bird on the ground, use this opportunity as well to have a drink of water at the waterhole

The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest herbivore on Earth. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its spotted coat patterns.
Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits, and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach.
Giraffes are vital to keeping ecosystems in balance. They eat the areas that others cannot reach, which promotes growth of forage and opens up areas for themselves and other smaller browsers to make use of.
Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations.
Males establish social hierarchies through "necking", combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear sole responsibility for rearing the young.
Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs may prey upon giraffes. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations. Males establish social hierarchies through "necking", combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear sole responsibility for rearing the young.
Giraffes are vital to keeping ecosystems in balance. They eat the areas that others cannot reach, which promotes growth of foliage and opens up areas for themselves and other smaller browsers to make use of.

The giraffe (Giraffa) is an African artiodactyl mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. It is traditionally considered to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. However the existence of up to eight extant giraffe species have been described, based upon research into the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements of Giraffa. The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach. They may be preyed on by lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring, or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations. Males establish social hierarchies through 'necking', which are combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear the sole responsibility for raising the young. Giraffe use their 45-50 cm long prehensile tongue and the roof of their mouths in order to feed on a range of different plants and shoots. Giraffes use their dexterous tongues to sort out the nutritious leaves from spiky thorns. Fortunately, a giraffe’s tongue has thickened papillae, which helps to protect it from these vicious thorns. Additionally, thick saliva is also believed to help protect giraffe’s tongue and mouth against the defensive mechanisms of their favourite food.