29/01/2026
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๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฃ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฟ
Marilijn Mathijssen from the Netherlands, a student from HAS Green Academy, spent 20 weeks at the Mogalakwena Research Centre conducting research on seasonal thermoregulatory behaviour in giraffes (๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐). Her work was supervised by Dr Tanja van de Ven and Veisy Phatlana.
Marilijnโs research examined how giraffes adjust their behaviour between the dry and wet seasons to cope with changing temperatures and weather conditions. Her findings showed that giraffes changed their body orientation more frequently during the wet season, making greater use of โside to the sunโ positions to reduce heat exposure when temperatures were higher. During the dry season, giraffes spent more time not facing the sun, likely due to cooler conditions and reduced need for heat avoidance.
Her results also showed that temperature strongly influenced activity levels. At higher temperatures, giraffes were more inactive, particularly during the wet season, while foraging occurred more often at cooler temperatures. Seasonal differences in overall activity were less pronounced, suggesting that immediate temperature played a greater role than season alone. Weather conditions had a weaker influence, with clearer patterns observed during sunny and overcast days.
Marilijnโs work contributes to our understanding of how giraffes use behavioural strategies to manage heat stress and highlights the importance of shade and habitat structure, especially in the context of climate change. We thank her for her dedication and wish her every success as she continues her journey in ecology
