This is a question & reply written by the 1h class of the E. Stami di Nuoro scientific and linguistic high school for Evidence Network Academy.
The giraffe cloak changes a lot between different individuals and among the various species: it can have a dark brown color, dark hazelnut up to almost black in males at the most advanced age. It is no coincidence that the age of a giraffe can be understood how dark his stains are. Like the human fingerprints, there are no two giraffes with the same drawing as the cloak. The spots of the giraffe are primarily to camouflage themselves and to regulate body temperature. In fact, under each stain there is a system of blood vessels that allows it to leave body heat and endure the high temperatures of the savannah.
How old are you? The spots also serve to understand the age of a giraffe, so they do not forgive them over time, are part of the skin and hair of the animal and therefore last all life. However, there are rare exceptions due to genetic conditions. The leukismfor example, causes a partial pigmentation loss, making the stains very clear or almost invisible, but does not completely eliminate them. Another case is the vitiligoan even rarer condition in giraffes, which causes the appearance of white patches on the skin. The giraffe that was born without the traditional spots is a very rare event. Despite being a rare anomaly, it is not thought that a giraffe without spots has a more difficult life, at least judging the few known cases. So the stains serve more than anything else to camouflage, but They are not essential for survival.
