A Preliminary Study on the Siphon Mechanism in Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

A Preliminary Study on the Siphon Mechanism in Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

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Adult giraffes reach heights of 4.5 m with a heart-to-head distance of over 2 m, making cranial blood supply challenging.Ultrasound confirmed that the giraffe jugular vein collapses during whelen arges spotlight head movement from ground level to fully erect, negating the possibility of a siphon mechanism in the neck.We showed that a short-length siphon structure over a simulated head-to-heart distance for a giraffe significantly influences flow in a collapsible tube.The siphon structure is determined according to brain case measurements.

The short-length siphon structure in a shorter-necked ostrich showed no significant increase in flow.The shorter head-to-heart distance might be the reason for the lack of effect in ostriches.A siphon mechanism situated in the cranium is certainly possible, with a significant effect exerted on the amount of pressure the heart must generate to allow adequate cranial blood perfusion in a long-necked giraffe.The study validated that a cranial-bound siphon structure can operate and will be of significant value for adequate cranial blood perfusion in long-necked species such as giraffes read more and might also have existed in extinct species of long-necked dinosaurs.