How Do Giraffes Drink Water and Does a Giraffe Ever Black Out When it Bends Over?

July 18, 2014 by Karen Hill | Filed Under: Animals

A giraffe holds its legs out straight to the side when bending to get a drink of water.

Giraffes have a unique circulatory system, and its heart, which can weigh up to 22 pounds, must generate about twice the normal blood pressure for an average large mammal to maintain blood flow to the brain.

The giraffe is also equipped with an amazing network of veins and valves in the neck that keep blood from ever flowing too fast or too slow, whether the animal is bending over or getting back up.

In the upper neck, a complex pressure-regulation system called the “rete mirabile” prevents excess blood flowWASHINGTON – The Senate voted 53-45 Thursday to block the Trump administration from selling U.S.-made weapons to Saudi Arabia and its allies, a rare rebuke of the White House by the Republican-led chamber.

The move pushed by a bipartisan group of senators highlights a rift between Congress and the White House over the Trump administration's pro-Saudi policies, even as the kingdom has committed a series of high-profile human rights violations.

The Senate voted to pass 22 "resolutions of disapproval" to try to block a pending $8.1 billion arms deal to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. White House officials said they will advise the president to veto the bill and allow the weapons sale to proceed.

Opponents of the deal cited not only anger at the Saudi government for