How Is A Mouse Like A Giraffe? | Natural History Museum

What on Earth?How is a mouse like a giraffe?

By Emily Osterloff

Mice and giraffes may look like they could not be more different from each other. But under the surface they have more in common than it may first seem.

There are thought to be over 5,400 species of mammals living on Earth. They come in all shapes and sizes - from tiny mice to towering giraffes, and scale-covered pangolins to 100-tonne whales.

But despite their differences now, all mammals stemmed from one common ancestor, with the earliest mammal fossils currently thought to date to between 220 and 165 million years ago.

Watch as senior curator of mammals Louise Tomsett explains the surprising similarity between mice and giraffes.

It's all in the neck

Mice and giraffes live drastically different lives – not to mention that giraffes tower over mice by over five meters.

A giraffe's neck is extraordinary long, making up a large part of its height. This allows the animal to reach the leaves of tall trees. But an elongated neck is also integral to the courtship behaviour of 'necking'.

Necking involves males duelling by swinging their heads like battering rams into each other's ribs and legs. Those with longer necks usually stand to an advantage in these battles.

Despite its elongated form, the neck of a giraffe is made up of just seven large bones known as cervical vertebrae.

By comparison, the body of the common house mouse (Mus musculus) is only around 10 centimetres long, its tail contributing more to the overall length.

However, despite outward appearances, the small rodent bears one striking similarity to Earth's tallest living terrestrial creature on a skeletal level.

Mice also have seven cervical vertebrae in their necks, though extremely small compared to those of a giraffe.

Mice and giraffes experienced two very different evolutionary journeys from their common ancestor to end up as the vastly different animals they are today.

With few exceptions, such as manatees and sloths, almost all mammals - including humans - possess seven neck bones.

What on Earth?

Just how weird can the natural world be?

Explore the unusual

Discover more

Anthropocene

Could giraffes become extinct?

Mammals expert Richard Sabin explains why giraffe numbers have plummeted in the past 15 years.

British wildlife

Dormice use their whiskers to 'see' in the dark

Find out how these arboreal rodents use their whiskers to navigate at night.

What on Earth?

Manatees: what is a sea cow?

How much do you know about slow-moving, seagrass-munching manatees?

Collections

The platypus puzzle

Watch Dr Ronald Jenner explore the venomous puzzle that the platypus poses.

Don't miss a thing

Receive email updates about our news, science, exhibitions, events, products, services and fundraising activities. We may occasionally include third-party content from our corporate partners and other museums. We will not share your personal details with these third parties. You must be over the age of 13. Privacy notice.

First name *Last name *Email address *Sign up

Follow us on social media

Accept cookies?

We use cookies to give you the best online experience. We use them to improve our website and content, and to tailor our digital advertising on third-party platforms. You can change your preferences at any time.

Manage my preferencesYes, accept all