[Daily article] July 26: Giraffe

The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living
terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. Its specific name refers to
its camel-like face and the patches of color on its fur, which bear a
vague resemblance to a leopard's spots. The giraffe is noted for its
extremely long neck and legs, as well as its horn-like ossicones. It is
classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant
relative, the okapi. The giraffe's 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 savannas, grasslands, and
open woodlands. Their primary food source is acacia leaves, which they
can browse at heights that most other herbivores cannot reach. Giraffes
are preyed on by lions, and calves are also targeted by leopards,
spotted hyenas and wild dogs. Adult giraffes do not have strong social
bonds, though they do gather in loose aggregations if they happen to be
moving in the same general direction. The giraffe has intrigued various
cultures, both ancient and modern, for its peculiar appearance, and has
often been featured in paintings, books and cartoons. It is classified
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Least
Concern, but has been extirpated from many parts of its former range,
and some subspecies are classified as Endangered.

Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe>

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Today's selected anniversaries:

1882:

Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal, loosely based on Wolfram von
Eschenbach's epic poem Parzival about Arthurian knight Percival and his