The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

88 them. They each have their own unique traits and features working perfectly together to enable them to do magnificent things. Although I love to study and learn about all animals, the particular animal that strikes my interest is the giraffe. The giraffe towers over all the other mammals on earth. Because of its long neck and tall legs, the giraffe’s heart must be extremely strong in order to pump the blood up the carotid artery (the artery that carries blood to the head) and to the giraffe’s brain, supplying it with oxygen and nutrients (Zhang, 2006). Since the giraffe’s head is so far away from its heart, the giraffe has hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure. As a result of this hypertension, the giraffe contains many unique mechanisms that counteract the high blood pressure and keep the giant beast alive (Zhang, 2006). For example, the rete mirable, or “marvelous net,” is a spongy mass of blood vessels located under the base of the brain that stretches gently to decrease the powerful force of the blood entering the brain (Pittman, 2011). This is just one of the mechanisms the giraffe possess and relies on for survival. As one may notice about the giraffe, it is not like any other mammal on this earth. Because of the giraffe’s unique long neck and legs, scientists, through the years, have continually debated on how the giraffe obtained these features. There are generally two distinctive sides to this argument, Evolution and Creation. The people who support the Evolution theory are generally called Evolutionists. They are usually atheists, people who do not believe in a higher being. Evolutionists believe in Evolution, which is the change in inherited characteristics, enhancing the organism and making it more complex over an extensive period of time. The opposing side is Creationism which is usually argued by people termed Creationists. This group of people is frequently religious and believes in a god or designer. Creationists believe that a higher power, God, created organisms out of nothing and designed them with a purpose. Many Evolutionists and Creationists argue over the origin of the long neck of the giraffe. Evolutionists believe the giraffe’s neck started out short and slowly evolved into the neck it is today. However, Creationists believe the giraffe’s neck was made with a specific, intelligent design in mind and was created the same length as it is today. In this paper, I will explain both theories; however, the giraffe’s neck was created long due to the evidence shown in the fossil record, the essential mechanisms in place because of high blood pressure, and the