The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

131 steps it must successfully accomplish in order to keep a graceful, towering creature from collapsing. Works Cited Kofahl, R. (1992, March). Do drinking giraffes have headaches?. Creation, 14(2), 22-23. Retrieved from http://creation. com/do-drinking-giraffes-have-headaches The article “Do drinking giraffes have headaches?” written by Robert E. Kofahl, Ph.D. summarizes the unique features that the giraffe’s body contains in order to cope with its high blood pressure. The author discusses the powerful heart of the giraffe and the features that allow the giraffe to bend over and take a drink without the heart pumping too much blood into the brain. Kofahl then discusses the importance of the giraffe spreading its legs and lowering its heart to drink water. He then explains the importance of the jugular valves located in the neck that open and close to allow and prevent blood flow. In this article he discusses the spongy tissue that is located under the brain that controls the blood flow to the brain. Then Kofahl discusses the importance of the counter- pressure mechanisms that prevent leakage of blood from the capillaries. The perfectly designed features that allow the giraffe to bend its head to drink water are presented clearly and simply in this article. I will be able to use this article to give an overall summary of the circulatory system of the giraffe and be able to explain its important adaption that takes place when the giraffe lowers its head to drink. Mitchell, G., & Skinner, J. D. (2009). An allometric analysis of the giraffe cardiovascular system. Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology Part A: Molecular & I ntegrative Physiology, 154(4), 523-529. This scholarly article was written by G. Mitchel and J.D. Skinner who work at the Centre for Veterinarian Wildlife Studies in South America and The Department of Zoology