Zoologists say that because of their high growth, giraffes are more likely to die due to lightning strikes than other creatures. It is reported by Gismeteo.
Between 1996 and 2010, only five well-documented cases of giraffe deaths by lightning are known, including one in which a giraffe was killed in front of Disney World visitors in 2003. According to zoologist Luis Villason, this is about 0.003 deaths per thousand giraffes per year. This figure is more than 30 times the death rate among people in the United States, where thunderstorms occur more often.
Because lightning tends to hit taller objects, especially in open areas, the giraffe’s height does a disservice to the animal, according to scientist Tsiska Scheyen. However, giraffes are able to adapt to this, for example, quickly seek shelter during a thunderstorm or move to areas with dense vegetation.
At the same time, animals with four legs are more vulnerable to electric shock, since the energy after the discharge spreads through the soil. Lightning expert John Jensenius said that electricity in such cases travels from the ground up one leg and down the other. And since the legs of the giraffe are widely spaced, it is even easier for the current to pass through the body.
Source: Rosbalt
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