13 Long Neck Animals In The World

Long neck animals are equipped to survive in nature and the best example is giraffes who has long neck so that they can eat leaves in taller trees. There are long-necked birds as well that can be treated as hunters so that they can strike quickly as sort-of ambush hunters. Here is the list of long neck animals in the world,

Long Neck Animals

1. Giraffe

The giraffe is one of the most popular animals that are camouflaged in Africa. The species sleep less than two hours per day.
As of now, 9 subspecies of giraffes are known in the wild and they are also listed as the tallest mammals on Earth. It loves to thrive in savannas, Sahel, and open woodland areas.
The giraffe is capable of eating thorny plants without hurting its mouth because the inner surface of the mouth is hard.
The natural predators of the species are lions and crocodiles.
It can run upto 35 miles per hour over a short distance.
The avarage lifespan of a Giraffe is 10-15 years in the wild and around 25 years in captivity.
It is also listed as one of the best animal patterns in the world.

Also Read: Top 5 Animals That Start With Z

2. Common ostrich

Common ostrich or just Ostriches are non-flying largest birds that are only seen in Africa.
All males, females, and young ostriches are of different colors and males can be easily recognized in black and white color. The female and young species are greyish, brownish, and white.
The bird species can survive without water for a long period of time because they will absorb water from the food they eat.
It is the fastest-running bird and it can even run faster than lions or leopards.
They have the biggest eyes in the whole animal kingdom and it is bigger than their brain.
The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 30-70 years in the wild.

Also Read: Top 10 Beautiful Orange and Black Birds

3.Gerenuk (Waller’s Gazelle)

Gerenuk is a type of antelope that belongs to the bovid family. It is one of the long neck animals that is found in the eastern parts of Africa.
It loves to thrive in the regions of semi-arid areas, deserts, and dry bushy savannas. The population is dropping because of hunting and habitat destruction.
The species can reach upto 55 to 63 inches in length with an avarage wieght of 64 to 114 pounds. Male species are larger than females.
They have a small and wedge-shaped head along with large eyes, long ears, and a small, pointed muzzle.
The natural predators of gerenuk of the species are leopards, lions, cheetahs, jackals, and wild dogs.
The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 8 years in the wild and up to 13 years in captivity.
The Gerenuks scientifically known as Litocranius walleri is an antelope species related to the Gazelle. The meaning of Gerenuks is ‘Giraffe Necked’ in the Somali language.
Talking about the appearance, Gerenuks are known for their small heads compared to their body size but the eyes and ears are quite large. The antelope species loves to thrive in woody vegetation, desert, and open scrublands.

4. Eastern long-necked turtle

The Eastern long-necked turtle is an Australian snake turtle species mostly seen in a variety of water bodies and is an opportunistic feeder.
It is one of the long neck animals that are capable of side-necked turtle (Pleurodira) and it can very easily bend its head sideways into its shell.
The animal species were mostly seen in the regions of Victoria, Northern Territory, and New South Wales, and northwards to the Fitzroy River of Queensland.
Talking about the appearance, it is black in color but some of them can be brown. Eastern long-necked turtle has a long and narrow neck and reaches a length of approximately 60% of the carapace length.
Females are larger than males and have deeper bodies.
The eastern long-necked turtle is carnivorous and primarily feeds on insects, worms, tadpoles, frogs, small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Image Source: Wikimedia

5. Scarlet ibis

The scarlet ibis is one of the species of ibis that belongs to the bird family Threskiornithidae.
The bird species were mostly seen in the regions of tropical South America and part of the Caribbean.
The scarlet ibis is one of the most striking of all the ibis species and comes with pink, orange, and reddish color because of a rich source of pigments in the algae and small crustaceans in the food of the bird species.
It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Initially given the binomial nomenclature of Scolopax Rubra.
The primary diet includes crabs and other crustaceans, small fish, mollusks, frogs, worms, and insects.
The varage lifespan is sixteen years in the wild.
It is one of the best red animals in the world.

6. Whooper swan

Whooper swan is also known as the common swan also listed as the large northern hemisphere swan.
The swan is one of the long-neck animals that looks similar to the Bewick’s swan. It can grow upto 140–165 centimeters (55–65 inches) with a total wingspan of 205–275 cm (81–108 in).
The varage wieght of the Whooper swan is 7.4–14.0 kilograms (16+1⁄4–30+3⁄4 pounds). It requires large water to live in especially during the growing phase because the body weight cannot be supported by their legs for extended periods of time.
The primary diet includes aquatic plants but they have also seen eating grain, grasses, and crop foods, such as wheat, potatoes, and carrots.
The whooper swan is the national bird of Finland.

7. Flamingo

Flamingos is one of the beautiful water birds with long necks known for their red-purple-colored feather.
There are 6 species of flamingos that love to thrive in the regions of shallow lakes, mangrove swamps, and sandy islands of Africa, Asia, America, and Europe.
The bird species can grow upto 3.3 – 4.6 feet tall with a varage wieght of 3.3 – 9 pounds. The total wingspan of the bird species is 3.3 – 5 feet.
Flamingos hold their breath while feeding and appear in large groups called colonies and even some colonies have a million birds.
The graceful animal is monogamous which means they have just one partner and produce one egg each year.
Flamingos live between 20 and 30 years and are also listed as one of amazing African birds.

8. Dromedary Camel

Dromedary Camel also known as the Arabian camel is one of the useful animal species known for its one hump on its back.
The camel species is the tallest among all the three species where the adult males can grow upto 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft) at the shoulder and females can grow upto 1.7–1.9 m (5.6–6.2 ft) tall.
It is known for its long, curved neck, narrow chest, a single hump along with hairs on the throat, shoulders, and hump.
Dromedary Camel is mostly active during daylight hours and is mostly seen in herds of about 20 individuals that are led by a dominant male.
The avarage lifespan of the Dromedary Camel is 40 years.

Image Source: Wikimedia

9. Alpaca

Alpaca is one of the species of camelids mostly seen in Southern Amerwhere they have been breeding for thousands of years. The species is known for its valuable fiber which is high in both quality and quantity. They are also bred for their meat.
The fiber is used to make blankets, sweaters, ponchos, and other textiles along with 52 natural colors originating from the alpacas in Peru alone.
Alpaca is found in many different colors such as fawn, grey, brown, black, and white, and a combination of all these can also happen.
The species is native to Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, high in the Andes mountains of South America.
The baby alpacas are called crias and when alpaca and a llama are crossbred, the offspring are referred to as huarizo.
Just like Llamas, Alpacas are social herd animals and are popular as clean animals. They did not have a bad smell and were quite easy to care for. The avarage lifespan of the animal species in the wild is 20 years.
As of now, two breeds of alpacas are known, the first is huacaya (wah-KI-ah) and the second one is suri (SOO-ree), however, around 90% of alpacas are the huacaya breed and the rest 10% are suri breeds.

10. Llama

The llama is a close relative of a camel without a hump and is belived to have originated from South America now it can be found all around the world.
They are large animals that can be 6 feet tall (at the head) and the avarage wieght is between 280 and 450 pounds of weight.
They are social animals and live in groups composed of up to 20 animals.
Llama is a herbivore and primarily feeds on grass and ferns mainly.
The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 20 and 30 years.
It is known for its intelligent and stubborn animals because when the load on its back is too heavy, it will refuse to carry until some load is removed.
Llamas are popular as one of the amazing guards for herds of small animals. This is known for its social behavior and can well come to a group of sheep or goats as their own herd.
The animal species are known for their intelligence where they can easily distinguish between chasing off coyotes and other predators. Llamas used to communicate in the herd by humming.
The llama is the national symbol of Peru and they appear on many tourist products such as coins and stamps

11. Herons

As of now. 64 species of Herons are known to humans and if you are in the United States of America, you have probably seen a great blue heron which is among the largest Herons in the country. The unique part is that Herons build nests in colonies and it is made of stick. They love to live near the ocean as well as near lakes and wetlands. The avarage lifespan of herons is 20 years in the wild. They have good vision and can hunt during the night and day as well.

12. Jabiru

Jabiru is the tallest flying bird found in South America that can grow upto 1.5 m (5 ft) tall and 2.8 m (9.2 ft) across the wings. The avarage wieght of bird species is around 8 kg. The bird species used to thrive near rivers and ponds and eat prodigious quantities of fish, mollusks, and amphibians. Jabiru primarily feeds on reptiles and small mammals and they have also been seen eating fresh carrion and dead fishes. The average lifespan of Jabiru in the wild is 30 years.

13. Rheas

Rheas are large and flightless birds mostly seen in the regions of the grasslands of Brazil and Argentina. It can grow upto 4 feet high and look similar to the small ostriches. The male species take care of children up to 6 months and even adopt other baby rheas that become lost. It primarily feeds on plants, fruit, and seeds. The bird species cannot fly but they can run very fast using their wings for balance when they’re running.