Giraffes Under Pressure

The blood pressure of the giraffe, the most extreme among land animals at approximately 260/160 mmHg.

This high pressure is required to force the blood to travel up their long necks, which can be two metres or specifically, more,to the brain to deliver oxygen.

To do this, giraffes have a powerful heart, thick walls to their arteries and special valves that stop the blood from flowing in the wrong direction, enabling them to deal with the difficulties of gravity.