Resting behaviors play an important role in animals’ daily activities by minimizing energy consumption. Although this may be equally important to other behavioral states for sustaining life, it has not been well studied in the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis). This study characterized the bout duration, frequency, and age–sex class differences in diurnal recumbent behavior of free‐ranging giraffe. Additionally, it is currently unknown whether giraffe utilize shady or safe areas for diurnal recumbency, as many other animals do. Therefore, we also investigated this in the present study. Data were collected in Katavi National Park, Tanzania, during four time periods. The duration of recumbency bouts was calculated from 170 episodes, and the frequency of recumbency was determined by following 24 individuals for more than 10 h each. Habitat type was categorized into wooded grassland or miombo woodland, and habitat preference was analyzed based on 173.6 h of observations. We found no significant difference in the duration of recumbency bouts among the four age‐classes and between sexes in adults. On the other hand, calves (n = 2) rested more frequently than did other age‐groups, possibly due to differences in predation risk or activity budgets. Adult males had a higher frequency of recumbency compared to adult females, possibly because pregnant/nursing females were hindered in adopting this posture. We also found that giraffe primarily utilized the miombo woodland for daytime recumbency, likely because the high tree density reduces heat stress, and its seclusion from the river reduces predation risk.

中文翻译：

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坦桑尼亚卡塔维国家公园的长颈鹿日卧行为和栖息地利用

休息行为通过最小化能量消耗在动物的日常活动中起着重要作用。尽管这对于维持生命的其他行为状态可能同样重要，但尚未在长颈鹿中充分研究（长颈鹿（Gifraffa camelopardalis））。这项研究的特点是自由放养的长颈鹿的昼夜卧床行为的发作持续时间，频率和年龄-性别分类差异。此外，与许多其他动物一样，长颈鹿目前是否利用遮荫区域或安全区域进行昼夜卧倒尚不清楚。因此，我们在本研究中也对此进行了调查。在四个时间段内，在坦桑尼亚的卡塔维国家公园收集了数据。从170次发作中计算出卧床发作的持续时间，并通过追踪24位个体超过10小时的时间来确定卧床的频率。栖息地类型分为林木草地或密伦坡林地，并根据173.6 h的观测结果分析了栖息地的偏好。我们发现，在四个年龄段之间以及在成年男女之间，卧推的持续时间没有显着差异。n  = 2）比其他年龄段的人更频繁地休息，这可能是由于捕食风险或活动预算的差异。与成年女性相比，成年男性的卧床频率更高，这可能是因为怀孕/哺乳期的女性受到这种姿势的阻碍。我们还发现，长颈鹿主要利用miombo林地作白天卧床活动，这可能是因为高树密度降低了热应激，而它与河流的隔离减少了被捕食的风险。