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A youthful giraffe with a zigzagging , seemingly break neck has recently been spotted for the first clock time in South Africa . Almost nothing is known about this distort animal , including how it commence its utmost harm or how long it might survive .
Travel bloggerLynn Scottsnapped photo of the giraffe on a wildlife hitch in an unidentified , private plot taciturnity in Kruger National Park , andshared the images July 5 on Facebook . ( The accurate locating and date have been withheld by Scott to protect the beast from poachers . )
The deformed giraffe was spotted at an unnamed private game reserve in Kruger National Park.
" It was standing still at the time " and showed " very little movement,“Scott , who work at the reserve at the time , evidence Live Science in an e-mail . However , the Texas Ranger leading the tour was " not too interested " with its lack of mobility , she add .
societal media commenters suggest that the giraffe had a broken neck . However , experts say there is not enough evidence to support this supposition .
" It is definitely a very perverted neck , " saidSara Ferguson , a veterinarian and preservation wellness coordinator at the non - governmental establishment Giraffe Conservation Foundation . However , " without radiographs to demonstrate the ivory has been broken , we would refer to the camelopard as having serious torticollis , " Ferguson tell Live Science in an email .
Almost nothing is known about the deformed giraffe of how it sustained its unusual injury.
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Torticollis , also known as wryneck , is a condition that in human " causes the head teacher to spread out and argument at an unexpended slant , " according toJohns Hopkins Medicine . This can either occur from birth or be gain later in life through a number of potential causes , including sleeping in the wrong position , herniated discs , heftiness shrinking and spinal electric cord infections .
In Giraffa camelopardalis , wryneck is particularly noticeable because of the animate being ' elongated necks . And , like in humans , the shape has a range of possible causes in giraffes , such as spinal cord infection and osseous tissue fractures .
Ferguson has previously seen examples of this condition in Giraffa camelopardalis at zoos and occasionally in the state of nature in Zambia , Kenya and Uganda . However , she has never seen such a severe case as the latest one and is unsure what could have cause it .
In the past times , wild camelopard have survive with broken necks . For example , in 2015 , wildlife lensman recognize an adult male camelopard with a interchangeable zigzag neck opening in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania . This individual transgress its neck during a fight with a rival male person five year earlier , the Daily Mail reportedat the time . It is undecipherable if this individual is still alive .
Several Facebook commenters suggested that the camelopard in Kruger National Park may have also sustained its hurt by fight another male , also known as neck , which require the giraffes aggressively whipping and thrash their necks together to show dominance and impress uncommitted females .
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However , base on the available photos , this individual is potential a sub - grown giraffe — entail it is likely too young to reproduce — and could be either male or female , because it is hard to determine the sex of giraffes at this years , Ferguson said . As a result , there is nothing to support the make out explanation , she added .
It is ill-defined how late the immature giraffe sustained its injuries or how it may touch on its lifespan .
" We do not know the survival charge per unit of such individual , " Ferguson said . They are normally only photograph once , meaning no follow - up information is available , she bring .
