Giraffa camelopardalis
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English: Giraffe
German: Giraffe
French: Girafe
Spanish: Girafa
Distribution areas
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The giraffe lives in the prairie and
wooded areas of Central and Southern
Africa. Now it is often bred in zoos.
Description of the fur
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The hide of mature animals is up to 400 The surface structure
cm long. It has a characteristically long of the skin, 200x
neck with dark hair and typically red-brown
spots of variable shape and size. The basic coloration of the skin is
light-grey or light-brown. The underfur layer is not visible. The hair fibres
are straight and only 15 to 30 mm long, except the mane where they are longer.
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Giraffa camelopardalis
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English: Giraffe
German: Giraffe
French: Girafe
Spanish: Girafa
Structure of the hair
---------------------
The microscopic structure of the skin
surface is furrowed; the hair follicles are
wide with sunken edges. On average, the
follicles contain only one hair shaft.
The fine fur fibres, which are scarce,
are 15 to 25 µm in diameter. Their The cuticular structure
cross-sectional outline is circular. The of the fine fibres, 2000x
cuticular scales are cornet-like with a
smooth surface and straight scale margins. These fibres are
non-medullated.
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Giraffa camelopardalis
----------------------
English: Giraffe
German: Giraffe
French: Girafe
Spanish: Girafa
The intermediate fibres are either
circular, elliptical or even sometimes
sickle-shaped in cross-section. These
fibres have a diameter of 30 to 45 µm. They
are usually non-medullated, the cuticle is
even, tile-like with a smooth scale surface
and straight margins.
The guard hairs are circular or Transverse section
elliptical in cross-section, with a of an intermediate fibre, 1000x
diameter of 45 to 65 µm. The cuticular
scales are of an even, tile-like shape with a smooth surface and straight
scale margins. The medulla is wide, unbroken and central symmetrical-shaped
in cross-section. The medullary column is filled with a substance of
foam-like, detailed structure. The overall structure of the medulla is of the
sponge-lattice-like type.
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Giraffa camelopardalis
----------------------
English: Giraffe
German: Giraffe
French: Girafe
Spanish: Girafa
Longitudinal section
of a guard hair, 1000x
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Giraffa camelopardalis
----------------------
English: Giraffe
German: Giraffe
French: Girafe
Spanish: Girafa
Detailed structure
of the medulla, 4000x
Numerical code for giraffe skin structure
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Surface of the skin: 3-1-1
Fine fur fibres: 1-5-1-1-4-0-0-0-0-15.25-8.21
Intermediate fibres: 1.2-2-1-1-4-0-0-0-0-30.45-15.25
Guard hairs: 2.1-2-1-1-2-1-1-6-5-45.65-18.35
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