To the casual observer on a photo safari, the giraffe is an iconic, gentle giant browsing the acacia tops. But to a cardiovascular physiologist, a giraffe is a walking, breathing hydraulic paradox.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is celebrating 100 years in 2026, and they’re ringing in this milestone in a major way. The ...

But this extreme feature comes at a cost: namely the energy required for the heart to pump blood up to the head against gravity. As a result, giraffes have high blood pressure, more than twice that of ...