Animals across the continent have evolved and adapted in certain ways. There are numerous animals that come with long necks and this helps them in thier living to access hard-to-reach foliage and even observe the surroundings for any threats. Here is the list of long neck animals in the world,
Long Neck Animals
1. Giraffe
Giraffes are one of the animals with long tails and they are ruminants which means that they have more than one stomach. In total, it has 4 stomachs, and extra stomach help in digesting food. Giraffe is one of the long neck animals where male giraffes used to fight with their necks over female giraffes. This process is known as necking. In order to defend itself, use their hooves to get rid of predators, one kick is enough to kill the lion. The average lifespan of a Giraffe is 25 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. It is also listed as one of the most amazing forest animals in the world.
Also Read: 10 Types Of Animal Patterns In The World
2. Ostrich
Ostriches are desert birds that come with long legs and long neck that protrudes from a round body. The bird species is native to Africa and prefers to thrive in savanna and desert regions. The bird species can sprint up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) an hour and run over distances of 50 kilometers (31 miles) an hour. It uses their wings as “rudders” to help them change direction while running. Ostriches eyes are the largest among all land vertebrates which are approximately 5 centimeters (2.0 in) in diameter. It is also listed as one of the dumbest animals in the world.
3. Gerenuk
Gerenuk is one of the animals with long necks that can be found in the eastern parts of Africa. Talking about its appearance, it has reddish-brown hairs on the back and yellowish-brown hairs on the sides. The bottom parts of the body are covered with white hairs. The name gerenuk comes from a Somali word that means “giraffe-necked”. The dietary habitats are herbivorous in nature and feed on leaves, shoots, flowers, and vines. The main predators of gerenuks are leopards, lions, cheetahs, jackals, and wild dogs. The avarage lifespan of Gerenuk is upto 8 years in the wild and up to 13 years in captivity.
Image Source: Wikimedia
4. Camel
Camels are one of unique animals with long faces that can survive 40% of the total weight loss and then drink up to 145 liters of water at once. They have also a double row of very long eyelashes and even a clear inner eyelid that protects the eye from sandstorms. These are diurnal animals and spend their day eating. They are highly social animals with a dominant adult male. The earliest known camel called Protylopus is believed to live in North America between 40 to 50 million years ago.
5. Greater Rhea
The greater rhea is a flightless bird native to eastern South America. The body length ranges between 127 to 140 cm in length and the average weight is between 20 to 27 kilograms. The largest bird in North South America can attain a hieght between 1.4 to 1.7 meters. The dietary habits are omnivorous in nature and feed on broad-leaved foliage, seeds, and also insects, scorpions, fish, small rodents, reptiles, and small birds. The avarage lifespan of greater rhea is between 10.5 to 40 years.
6. EMU
The emu also belongs to the group of flightless birds known as ratites and is found only in Australia. Emu is the second largest living bird by height, followed by the ostrich. The avarage lifespan of an emu is between 10 to 20 years in the wild and up to 35 years in captivity. There is a unique feature of emu feathers is the double rachis emerging from a single shaft and they have three toes on each foot. The dietary habit is omnivores in nature and primarily feed on seeds, fruit, bark, nuts, and stems and also insects small reptiles, and amphibians.
7. Black Swan
The group of black swans is known as a “bank”, however, the group of black swans during a fight is known as a “wedge”. The total wingspan of black swans is upto six feet and the avarage weighs up to 20 pounds. It is one of the long neck animals and has 25 vertebrae in the neck, however, humans have only seven and it will provide better flexibility. They are mostly seen in the regions of southeast and southwest Australia and Tasmania, Now they have been introduced to New Zealand, and ornamental ponds and lakes in western Europe, Japan, and Singapore. It is also listed as one of the black animals in the world.
8. Llama
The llama is a South American animal similar to a camel, however, the llama does not have a hump. It is believed that llamas originated from the central plains of North America approximately 40 million years ago. Later, they have been migrated to South America approximately 3 million years ago.
They are domesticated by the Incas 4,000 to 5,000 years ago and are seen in the regions of the Americas, Europe, and Australia as domesticated livestock and are also listed as one of the most popular farm animals in the world. The avarage lifespan of llamas is between 15 to 25 years, however, some of them can live upto 30 years or more.
9. Great Egret
The great egret is a beautiful white bird called by different names such as the common egret, large egret, or great white egret is a distributed egret species found on all continents except Antarctica. As of now, 4 subspecies of the great egret are known to humans and all of them are completely white with a long orange-yellow bill and dark gray legs.
The long legged bird can fly with an average speed of 51 km/h and can attain a total height of upto 1 meter. The avarage lifespan of great egret is upto 15 years in the wild and about 22 in captivity. The scientific name of the great egret is Ardea alba which comes from the Latin ardea, “heron”, and alba, “white”. It is also listed as one of the birds with long necks in the world.
10. Flamingo
The Flamingo is a wading African bird that prefers to thrive in large shallow lakes, lagoons, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, and sandy islands. The webbed feet bird can be identified for their pink feathers, stilt-like legs, and S-shaped neck. As of now, 6 species of flamingo are known to humans named as greater flamingo, lesser flamingo, Chilean flamingo, Andean flamingo, James’ (or puna) flamingo, and American (or Caribbean) flamingo. It is also listed as one of the most graceful animals in the world.
The total wingspan of flamingos ranges between 1 to 1.6 meters and the average weight is between 2.1 to 4.1 kilograms. It is a beautiful pink bird known for its feather color which ranges from pale pink to crimson or vermilion. It is also listed as one of the animals that lives in lakes.
These are the most popular long neck animals in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.