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Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis). Songimvelo Game Reserve. Mpumalanga. South Africa
Image Number 600525. San or Bushman Petroglyph (rock engraving) of a South African giraffe or Cape giraffe (Giraffa giraffa giraffa). Northern Cape. South Africa.
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis). The male on the left showing a flehmen response. Animals draw back their lips in a manner that makes them appear to be "grimacing" or "smirking". The action, which is adopted when smelling scents left by other animals either of the same species or of prey, helps expose the vomeronasal organ and draws scent molecules back toward it. This behavior allows animals to detect scents. Flehming allows the animals to determine several factors, including the presence or absence of estrus, the physiological state of the animal, and how long ago the animal passed by. This particular response is recognizable, for example, in stallions when smelling the urine of a mare in heat. To detect estrus the male giraffe's flehman response includes the actual taste-testing of the female's urine. Chobe National Park. Botswana
