In the 19th century, Charles Darwin and Jean Baptiste Lamarck suggested that giraffes evolved long necks to help them snatch leaves on trees.
A later theory usurped Darwin and Lamarck's, suggesting that male giraffes evolved long necks to fight and compete for female mates.
"I realized that the important question was, 'Do males have proportionally longer necks compared to the rest of their body?'"
Cavener said this may be the first study to suggest that females, not males, are the reason for giraffes' long necks.
That's important not only for understanding giraffe evolution but how male and female giraffes behave differently, which could help with conservation efforts.
Persons:
—, Charles Darwin, Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Darwin, Lamarck, Douglas Cavener, wasn't, Cavener, Art Wolfe, Zoe Raw, Raw
Organizations:
Service, Business, Biology, Penn State, International Union for Conservation
Locations:
Tanzania, Kenya, East Africa, Darwin, bushmeat