Calcium Chewing Creatures
Footage of giraffes in the wild often shows a gentle herbivore feeding on leaves hanging from the tops of trees. But a new video shows a giraffe in South Africa feeding on something entirely different—the skull of a buffalo. While the act might look gruesome, feeding on bones provides giraffes with the calcium and phosphorous they need for their own skeletons. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science found that it's not just bones giraffes feed on. The tall mammal also regularly consumes antlers, horns, and ivory. The behavior is known as osteophagia and varies by individual. Especially tall giraffes, for instance, may be more prone to feeding on bones than those that are shorter. Jarod Hutson, a post-doc researcher from the University of Nevada, has studied the skeletal remains bearing the marks of giraffe teeth. "There are bones scattered everywhere [in their environments]," said Hutson. "They do resort to eating th...