When Giraffes Fight, They Are Honorable

Researchers found that the long-necked mammals prefer a sparring partner of similar stature.

Giraffes don’t fight much, says Jessica Granweiler, a master’s student at the University of Manchester in England who studies nature’s tallest mammals. When they do, look out.

“Fighting is extremely rare because it’s extremely violent,” Ms. Granweiler said.

When older adult males joust for territory or mating rights, their hornlike pairs of ossicones thrust with the force of their long necks and can cut into their opponents’ flesh, wounding and sometimes even killing a combatant.