{"id":41646,"date":"2024-09-06T12:59:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T10:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/a39235d0-03b0-47ed-b6ff-849c3167a038"},"modified":"2024-09-06T13:28:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T11:28:42","slug":"do-giraffes-get-struck-by-lightning","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/do-giraffes-get-struck-by-lightning\/","title":{"rendered":"Do giraffes get struck by lightning?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are giraffes prone to getting struck by lightening? Data is thin on the ground, says Stuart Blackman but there has been cases <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 06 September 2024 at 10:59 AM<\/p>

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It stands to reason that giraffes<\/a>, like trees and church steeples, would attract more than their fair share of lightning strikes. Data, though, is thin on the ground. <\/strong><\/p>

At least four captive giraffes have been killed by lightning in the past couple of decades, and a rare account published in the scientific literature describes the deaths of two giraffes on a reserve in South Africa.<\/p>

One was struck directly on the head, shattering the skull; the other probably died from the same strike as the electrical charge dissipated through the ground. <\/p>

Significantly, both animals were taller than the surrounding vegetation, and intriguingly, both carcasses gave off a strong, ammonia-like smell and were ignored by scavengers<\/a>, a phenomenon that has been reported for other animals killed by lightning.<\/p>

In the scheme of things, lightning strikes are probably rare enough that the risk to an individual giraffe is negligible. Even so, it\u2019s probably best not to shelter beneath one in a thunderstorm.<\/p>

More fascinating giraffe facts<\/strong><\/p>