It's about time that we find out how giraffes got their long necks. Through gene sequencing, a new research discovered the genetic changes that led to the physical evolution and elongation of giraffe's necks, making it the world's tallest land species.
Head of the research team Douglas Cavener from Penn State University and Morris Agava of the Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science and Technology compared the gene sequences of the giraffe and its closest relative, the African okapi that revealed 70 genes showing signs of adaptation. Based on a Phys.org report, Cavener explained that the giraffe and okapi came from the same ancestor, although the latter looks more like a zebra, doesn't have long legs and neck as well as the giraffe's exemplary cardiovascular system.
"For these two reasons, Okapi's genome sequence provides a powerful screen that we have used to identify some of the giraffe's unique genetic changes," Cavener said.
According to Phys.org, half of the 70 genes are protein codes that helps in the physical and overall development of the giraffe's skeletal, cardiovascular, and nervous system. The genes control cardiovascular and skeletal growth that made it possible to develop the giraffe's long legs and neck, as well as its speed.
The team also discovered that the giraffe has the same number of bones as the legs and neck of humans, only that the giraffe's bones elongated through time. The researchers further identified the FGFRL1 gene that influences fibroblast growth factors. These factors are important in embryo development and bone growth after the giraffe's birth.
The said gene is now being experimented and implanted on mice. Through this, the research team hopes to see how the FGFRL1 gene will affect the spine and legs' growth of mice.
According to Londolozi, giraffes have many uses for their long necks. Giraffes use their length to get food from the top of trees with less competition, drive away predators, and fight with males called "necking."
As per Time, giraffes are going on a silent extinction with numbers of the species declining without gaining attention from the public, conservative groups and government authorities. A 2014 survey by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) says that the population of wild giraffes has gone down by 40 percent for the past 15 years.
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