A female giraffe has a great Valentine’s Day gift for potential mates: urine.

A female giraffe has a great Valentine’s Day gift for potential mates: urine.

Distinctive anatomy helps male giraffes get a taste for whether a female is ready to mate, animal behaviorists Lynette and Benjamin Hart report January 19 in Animals. A pheromone-detecting organ in giraffes has a stronger connection to the mouth than the nose, the researchers found. That’s why males scope out which females to mate with by sticking their tongues in a urine stream.
Animals such as male gazelles will lick fresh urine on the ground to track if females are ready to mate. But giraffes’ long necks and heavy heads make bending over to investigate urine on the ground an unstable and vulnerable position, says Lynette Hart, of the University of California, Davis.

In the hot summer, in order to relax, the swimming pool has become a popular place for everyone. I wish I could stay in the water for 24 hours, but there are too many people who always feel that the swimming pool is too crowded. In fact, you can consider going to the seaside to swim. The best thing is to go to those beautiful beaches, where you can not only swim, but also enjoy the beautiful scenery. Then, today, Zhiding Xiaobian will recommend a group of beautiful beaches in China. Come and have a look. Maybe you won't worry about the destination of your trip!

Yalong Bay

Located in Sanya, Hainan, it is a half moon shaped bay about 7.5 kilometers long. The beach is gentle and open, stretching about 7 kilometers. The shallow sea area is 50-60 meters wide. You can enjoy yourself here. Walking on the white and soft beach, you will feel that life is so beautiful when you see the clear and clear sea water facing the sunrise. It is called "the best bay in the world".

The researchers observed giraffes (Giraffa giraffa angolensis) in Etosha National Park in Namibia in 1994, 2002 and 2004. Bull giraffes nudged or kicked the female to ask her to pee. If she was a willing participant, she urinated for a few seconds, while the male took a sip. Then the male curled his lip and inhaled with his mouth, a behavior called a flehmen response, to pull the female’s scent into two openings on the roof of the mouth. From the mouth, the scent travels to the vomeronasal organ, or VNO, which detects pheromones.

The Harts say they never saw a giraffe investigate urine on the ground.

Unlike many other mammals, giraffes have a stronger oral connection — via a duct — to the VNO, than a nasal one, examinations of preserved giraffe specimens showed. One possible explanation for the difference could be that a VNO-nose link helps animals that breed at specific times of the year detect seasonal plants, says Benjamin Hart, a veterinarian also at the University of California, Davis. But giraffes can mate any time of year, so the nasal connection may not matter as much.

Located in Beihai City, Guangxi, it has a relatively large area, which exceeds the total area of beaches in Yantai, Qingdao, Dalian and Beidaihe, and is known as the "first beach in China". The water quality here is very good. It is a natural oxygen bar. The air is very fresh, the beach is wide, and the tide ebbs quickly, rises slowly. It is safer to swim. It is a good place for swimming enthusiasts.

Gold Coast

It is located in Changli County, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, only 15km away from Beidaihe. Here you can not only see the sea and sand, but also slide on the sand. The beach here is golden yellow, with fine sand, clear sea water, gentle beach and flat tide. The vast beach on the 26km coast allows you to play freely.

Qianbu Sand

Located in Putuo Mountain, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province. Putuo Mountain is an island in the Zhoushan Islands, which is one of the four Buddhist holy places. On the east coast of Putuo, there is a beach about 1750 meters long, called Qianbu Sand, which is the largest beach on Putuo Island. The sand surface is flat and wide, and the sand is soft and clean. In the evening, you can take a sea bath and listen to the Sanskrit Voice. It is not only pleasant, but also a taste of the artistic conception of "the Buddha Kingdom in the Sea and the Sky".

Gulangyu Beach

Located in Xiamen, Fujian Province, there are Gulangyu Bathing Beach and the most beautiful beach in Xiamen - Huangcuo Beach, which looks like blue water, blue sky, white clouds and sailboats. You are also adding a touch of bright color to this place wearing colorful swimsuits! Here, you can surf and swim to your heart's content.

Qingdao Beach

It is located in Shandong Province. There is a white sand beach with a total length of 20 kilometers and a width of 150 meters. The sand is as fine as powder. Grab it in your hand and then release it. Your hand is clean and will not leave any trace. The sea is blue and the beach is soft. It's a good place for you to swim and play. Although it is a bit regrettable that because it is called "the best beach in China", there are inevitably a little more tourists, but it is still worth visiting.

Da Nan Wan Beach, Hebao Island

It is located in the southwest of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, with a total area of about 13 square kilometers and a total coastal length of about 28 kilometers. The Danan Bay Beach here is about 4km long and 200-500m wide. The sand is soft, even and delicate, and the sea water is clear and transparent. It is known as the "Ten Mile Silver Beach". The most rare thing is that there are fewer tourists and it is quiet. It is a rare natural seaside resort.

Xichong

Located at the southernmost tip of Dapeng Peninsula in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, it enjoys the reputation of "Oriental Hawaii". The beach here is 4.5 kilometers long, with silver sand, blue and clear water, waves and breezes. You can look at Yueliang Island and Sanmen Island from afar, where you can swim, camp, hold a bonfire party and enjoy the most beautiful scenery.