Wild Fact #999 - How do Giraffes Communicate?

For centuries it was thought that giraffes were mostly silent except with the odd hiss or grunt, however, recent science has shown that giraffes are able to communicate over very long distances using "infrasound". This is a very low frequency that can not be heard by the human ear, however, it is able to travel up to hundreds of miles away from the source. Giraffes are considered to be social animals with a very loose structured herd. This implies that other members of the herd are scattered over the vast landscape (i.e. African Savanna). In order to be able to communicate with other members of the herd, giraffes make a very low drum beat sound which can be heard miles away. This communication is necessary for mating (how else can they use cheesy pick up lines?) as well as a defense mechanism. Giraffes, however, are not the only animals that drum to their own infrasound beat. Other animals that use this type of sound include whales, elephants, hippo's, rhino's and even alligators.

If you are looking for more information on Giraffes then please check out:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/tall-blondes/introduction/2253/