So What About Giraffes
The long-necked animals record-setting blood pressure280-over-180is more than DOUBLE that of humans. For a good reason: It takes a lot of force to get blood from their hearts to their brains when the two organs are separated by around two metres! Thats why giraffe hearts, at about 11 kilograms, are the largest of any land mammal.
Now youre WAY ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding blood pressure AND giraffe anatomy! Useful and useless facts, together at last
Do you have an awesome animal fun fact youd like to share? Go right ahead in the comments below!
How Is High Blood Pressure Diagnosed
High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. So the only way to find out if you have it is to get regular blood pressure checks from your health care provider. Your provider will use a gauge, a stethoscope or electronic sensor, and a blood pressure cuff. He or she will take two or more readings at separate appointments before making a diagnosis.
| Blood Pressure Category | |
|---|---|
| and | 120 or higher |
For children and teens, the health care provider compares the blood pressure reading to what is normal for other kids who are the same age, height, and sex.
The Giraffe Has A Normal Sized Heart But Thick Ventricular Wall
The reason why the heart is so powerful is its small radius, which is enclosed by thick walls. Its blood vessels also have thick walls to ensure they dont rupture due to the high blood pressure.
Unlike other mammals, giraffes have an internal mechanism that enables them to either shrink or expand their blood vessels. In this way, they are able to efficiently increase or decrease the volume of the circulatory system.
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What Is Blood Pressure
Blood pressure refers to the pressure against the walls of arteries during the time the heart contracts and empties itself of blood as well as during the time the heart relaxes and fills with blood.
When the heart contracts, this is known as systole, and the systolic pressure is the maximum pressure against the walls of the arteries. When the heart relaxes, it is known as diastole, and diastolic pressure is the minimum pressure against the walls of the arteries.
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Animal Trivia Questions Amphibians
What is the color of the most poisonous frog in the world?
Answer: Yellow. The most poisonous frog in the world is the golden poison frog from Colombia.
How many eggs can female frogs lay at a time?
Answer: Up to 4,000. Even though it varies from species to species, female frogs can lay up to that many in one sitting.
What kind of animal uses its skin to breathe?
Answer: The frog. Other than their lungs, frogs can also use their skin for breathing.
Looking for more ways to pass the time? Check out these fun facts for kids. The list covers animals, geography and so much more!
Which type of frog freezes during winter to hibernate?
Answer: The wood frog. Usually, when animals freeze, pointy ice crystals form inside their bodies, and these crystals puncture their cells and organs, killing them in the process.
However, the wood frog has natural antifreeze in its blood that prevents deadly ice crystals from forming in its center to protect vital organs, so it can survive the entire winter frozen, or rather, 60% frozen.
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Why Do Most Mammals Large And Small Have Much The Same Blood Pressure
Features
It is a fascinating fact that the blood pressure, the mean arterial pressure, of mice and men is much the same. An obvious corollary is that it can thus have little to do with the absolute scale of total peripheral resistance or gravitational effects on the cardiovascular system, given how different we are from mice in both respects. It is the shared requirements of the mammalian ultrafiltration kidney that are predominant in setting the mean arterial pressure of mice and men.
A simple thought is rarely noted by the textbooks: why does blood pressure mean arterial pressure stand at the absolute level that it does? Considerable physiological effort is expended by the body in sustaining the regulation of MAP, but why specifically at around 100 mmHg in most mammals, large or small?
What Are The Signs Of Hypertension
The signs of hypertension include:
- sudden blindness, bleeding inside the globe of the eye, and persistently dilated pupils
- detached retinas
- nervous system signs like depression, head tilt, seizures, disorientation, wobbly or uncoordinated movements , circling, weakness or partial paralysis, or short, rapid, back-and-forth movements of the eyes
- increased drinking and urinating with the progression of chronic kidney disease
- blood in the urine
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Heroes Should Be Medium
Water animals have no problem with gravity. The external hydrostatic pressure of the water compensates for any gravitational effects . The cardiac output pressure in fish is 2550 mmHg nevertheless, they do not experience orthostatic problems . For terrestrial animals, gravity does pose a problem. A water column of 1 m translates to a hydrostatic pressure difference of 73 mmHg! A human of 1.70 m in size and a systolic blood pressure of 120 mmHg at the level of the heart will have a systolic blood pressure of approximately only 70 mmHg in the brain and 190 mmHg within the toes. This simple calculation also explains why the heart is usually located in the middle of the body . As outlined above, early terrestrial animals generated a systolic blood pressure of only less than 3040 mmHg to avoid pulmonary oedema. For this reason, amphibians and reptiles always have a horizontal body posture . You will never meet a crocodile standing on its hind legsas it is often depicted in comics. The crocodile would feel dizzy rather quickly.
The Primordial Ocean Within Us: Invention Of The Kidney
We will begin our journey towards personal happiness with the fish, which evolved 500350 million years ago . As already well illustrated by Homer W. Smith , one of the major novel inventions of the fish was its capability to actively stabilize its internal milieu. Remarkably, the relative ionic composition of the extracellular fluid is virtually identical in fish as well as in all subsequent animal species .
Extracellular electrolyte concentration of the major inorganic ions in vertebrates in comparison to the salt concentration of the ocean
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Chronological overview. From fishes, two major continuous separate evolutionary pathways can be traced which lead either to mammals or to birds . Both branches show similar phenotypic stages of development . However, as evidenced by the different anatomy of the lung, the evolution of both branches was separate, even though similar developments occurred . The position of each animal klades indicates the approximate time point of the last most common ancestor . Each transition of the geological ages was accompanied by mass animal extinctions and a subsequent rise in novel animal klades . Examples for monotremes and are the platypus and kangaroo.
In summary, from our early days as fish, we have taken the primordial ocean with us. The kidney was developed to maintain a standardized internal milieu within us.
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Which Animal Will Never Sleep
Bullfrogs are thought to be animals that can survive without sleeping for months at a time. While they shut their eyes and go on to rest, they remain alert during these periods. According to research even while resting these huge amphibians were awake enough to respond to painful stimuli and show respiratory changes.
Which Animal Has The Highest Blood Pressure
The giraffe is home to the most blood-pressure mammals. It can reach pressures up to 280/180 mm Hg, more than twice the amount is found in humans . This is because the head of a giraffe is at an average of 2 meters above the heart, and the heart must fight gravitys forces to make sure that its brain has adequate oxygen and blood flow. But how can this be achieved?
The heart of a giraffe weighs an average of 11 kg and is made up of two halves, one on the left and right, responsible for the flow of blood around the body.
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Doppler Ultrasound Blood Pressure Monitor
To measure blood pressure with the Doppler, an ultrasonic probe is placed over the artery and a pressure cuff is placed distal to the transducer. The operator then inflates the pressure cuff to a suprasystemic pressure that extinguishes the Doppler signal. Systolic blood pressure is determined by listening for return of the pulse signal as the cuff slowly deflates .11,12,22,26
Figure 1. In addition to pressure cuffs, components of a Doppler ultrasound blood pressure monitoring system include ultrasound gel to enhance contact between the probe and skin, the Doppler unit and the 8-MHz transducer probe, and a sphygmomanometer to measure pressure. Pediatric probes are preferred due to their higher sensitivity with small vessels. Photo credit: Katrina Lafferty, CVT, VTS. .
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The Cardiovascular Secrets Of Giraffes
Because of their height, giraffes require scarily high blood pressuresyet they escape the massive health problems that plague humans with hypertension
Bob Holmes, Knowable
To most people, giraffes are merely adorable, long-necked animals that rank near the top of a zoo visit or a photo-safari bucket list. But to a cardiovascular physiologist, theres even more to love. Giraffes, it turns out, have solved a problem that kills millions of people every year: high blood pressure. Their solutions, only partly understood by scientists so far, involve pressurized organs, altered heart rhythms, blood storage and the biological equivalent of support stockings.
Giraffes have sky-high blood pressure because of their sky-high heads that, in adults, rise about six meters above the ground a long, long way for a heart to pump blood against gravity. To have a blood pressure of 110/70 at the brain about normal for a large mammal giraffes need a blood pressure at the heart of about 220/180. It doesnt faze the giraffes, but a pressure like that would cause all sorts of problems for people, from heart failure to kidney failure to swollen ankles and legs.
AR Physiology
Aalkjær has one more question about these remarkable animals. When a giraffe raises its head after bending down for a drink, blood pressure to the brain should drop precipitately a more severe version of the dizziness that many people experience when they stand up suddenly. Why dont giraffes faint?
Knowable Magazine
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What Can I Expect For My Dogs Long
The course of hypertension in dogs depends on the underlying cause. When blood pressure is well managed, the risks for potential complications are minimized. Medication for hypertension is generally a lifetime undertaking and may be adjusted over time as needed.
| Contributors: Malcolm Weir, DVM, MSc, MPH Robin Downing, DVM, DAAPM, DACVSMR, CVPP, CRPP |
Giraffes Blood Never Floods The Brain
Because of all these special features, giraffes are well-adapted to their high blood pressure. So really they dont suffer the what we normally think of consequences for high blood pressure. In another mammal such a level of blood pressure would leave both the heart and blood vessels seriously ruptured.
Obviously, the source of the high blood pressure in giraffes is the small heart. It needs such a high blood pressure to be able to push blood from the heart all the way to the brain. However, the high blood pressure isnt just an issue for an upstanding giraffe. It gets worse when the animal bends over to have a drink. The blood pressure from the heart tends to increase due to the effects of gravity. What saves the giraffe are the special valves in the neck blood vessels. As soon as the giraffe bends, the valves close to stop the blood from flooding the brain.
Also, the giraffe also has the rete mirabile, a webbed collection of tiny blood vessels. Any excess blood that returns to the brain while the giraffe is bending is absorbed when these vessels expand. The blood, therefore, never floods the brain.
Clearly, the giraffe doesnt just have high blood pressure, but mechanisms to deal with it too.
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Animal Trivia Questions How Many Legs
How many legs does an octopus have?
Answer: Eight. Each of its tentacles has a mini-brain of its own to move somewhat on its own.
How many legs does a centipede have?
Answer: 10 to 300 legs.
How many legs does a scorpion have?
Answer: Eight. That includes its pincers and the six legs it uses to walk.
What Kind Of Monitoring Will Be Required For My Dog
The treatment goal for a dog with hypertension is a systolic pressure of 140mmHg or less, and a diastolic pressure of 90mmHg or less. Periodic laboratory testing will be required to monitor for side effects of medication and progression of disease.
Potential complications of hypertension in the dog include:
- congestive heart failure
- retinal degeneration and subsequent blindness
- bleeding into the eye
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Oscillometric Blood Pressure Monitor
Automated oscillometric monitors use an inflating cuff to detect oscillations produced by blood flow and these oscillations are used to determine blood pressure.7,22,27 There are significant disadvantages associated with use of oscillometric monitors in exotic animal patients. First, automated monitors take readings at a minimum of every minute. Changes can develop rapidly in critically ill exotics so the intermittent nature of the information obtained can be a problem during periods of cardiovascular instability. 8 Additionally, oscillometric monitors tend to be most unreliable when the information is needed most: as blood pressure falls, the instrument may fail to obtain any readings at all.1,3,48,9,27 Oscillometric techniques can also fail to obtain measurements with rapid heart rates , small patient size, and hypothermia.9,27
Animal Trivia Questions Ocean Mammals
What is the color of a polar bears skin?
Answer: Black. The black color can better absorb the suns warm rays, helping polar bears stay warm more easily in freezing temperatures.
How far away can the sound of a blue whale be heard?
Answer: Over 500 miles . However, much of the sounds wavelength is outside the humans hearing range, so we can only hear part of it.
What kind of animal is a killer whale ?
Answer: A dolphin. Orcas are actually classified as dolphins. Theyre called whales because of their large size.
What is the largest animal in the world?
Answer: The Antarctic blue whale. They can grow to weigh 400,000 pounds , which is as heavy as 33 African elephants. Plus, Antarctic blue whales can be as long as 98 feet !
How do dolphins find prey?
Answer: Echolocation. Just like radars, dolphins produce and send out a series of clicks that bounce back from objects, including their prey. When they receive the returning clicks, they use that information to find prey.
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How To Take Blood Pressure Of An Elephant
How To Take Blood Pressure Of An Elephant?
What is the normal blood pressure for an elephant? While dogs and cats have similar ranges to human beings, elephants have a much higher average blood pressure to keep their much larger vessels open. While a normal value in human beings might be considered to be 120mmHg , in an elephant 180mmHg is average.
What is blood pressure in animals? Normal systolic pressure in dogs and cats is in the 120-130 mmHg range. An allowance of up to 160 mmHg systolic is often used since many of our patients are quite anxious in the hospital setting . Just like in humans, pets can have high blood pressure or systemic hypertension.
Which animal has highest blood pressure? Answer: Giraffes
Giraffes have the highest known blood pressure of any creature on earth for a very good reason: their hearts are fighting gravity every step of the way.
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Why Should I Care About Blood Pressure
An overly high blood pressurea.k.a hypertensionis not very good news. When it stays above 140-over-90, it can cause strokes, heart attacks, and heart and kidney failure. It may also be related to dementia and sexual problems. The good news: these issues can be prevented if high blood pressure is controlled.
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Does Blood Flow Faster In Arteries Or Veins
Blood Flow
Blood flows in the same direction as the decreasing pressure gradient: arteries to capillaries to veins. The rate, or velocity, of blood flow varies inversely with the total cross-sectional area of the blood vessels. As the total cross-sectional area of the vessels increases, the velocity of flow decreases.
Which Blood Vessels Experience The Sharpest Decrease In Blood Pressure
The greatest drop in blood pressure occurs at the transition from arteries to arterioles. Primary function of each type of blood vessel: Arterioles have a very small diameter , a small lumen, and a relatively thick tunica media that is composed almost entirely of smooth muscle, with little elastic tissue.
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Why Only Human Beings Can Run A Marathon
Warm-bloodedness evolved from reptilian-like animals to monotremes/mammals and independently also to birds . At least sauropods were already warm-blooded . To facilitate this, dinosaurs and birds developed feathers, while all mammals have fur. All mammals? Humans are the only exception in that they are naked. In addition, humans have by far the highest density of eccrine sweat glands and can regulate their body temperature much better than any other living animal on earth. When engaged in persistence hunting, the Aboriginal hunters will simply throw off their clothes allowing them to run for hours in mid-day heat in the Sub-Saharan African bushland, where humans likely evolved. Their mammalian prey cannot throw off its fur. In addition, panting as a way of additional cooling is not possible when cantering or galloping. When landing on all fours in the cycle of a gallop , the abdominal organs need to be stabilized by contraction of the abdominal muscular wall, which also requires holding your breath and closing the vocal chords or glottis. So the mammalian prey will gallop intermittently until it overheats and then will eventually be caught .
Using the furry skin of other animals to regulate body temperature is a remarkable accomplishment of the human brain. In addition, humans discovered how to make a fire. Very likely, stone-age women preferred well-dressed men who knew how to hunt and handle fire.