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More About Crocodiles

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Do crocodiles really teethe like human babies?

Yes and no.  Baby crocodiles get new teeth just like human babies, but unlike humans, crocodiles continue to get new teeth their entire lives!  This is because crocodile teeth do not have hard enamel on them so they break easily.  

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In the book, Rosie rubs the gums of the teething baby crocodile to help it feel better.  In reality people do not rub the gums of baby crocodiles but they DO rub the gums of teething baby hippos!  

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                    More About Giraffes

 

World Giraffe Day is June 21, 2023

 

Do giraffes REALLY get sore throats?

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Here is the response from Dr. Sarah Ferguson, one of the three veterinarians who work at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in Namibia. 

 

"Yes, giraffes can get sore throats! The cause of sore throats in giraffes is similar to us humans -- it can be caused by an infection from a bacterium or virus. Giraffes can also get sore muscles in their neck -- especially young males that like to pretend to fight and hit each other with their necks! Luckily they do not usually do much damage to themselves and it is rare to have severe trauma to their necks."

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According to Dr. Ferguson, "An infection is usually diagnosed by either looking into their mouths (usually with a flashlight so we can see!) and looking for redness meaning there is inflammation/taking a sample to see if there are bacteria present. Giraffes with sore throats/mouths also often drool a lot and may not want to eat (unlike when humans have a sore throat giraffe can't eat ice-cream!). We can administer antibiotics for an infection or give a pain reliever/anti-inflammatory for any trauma or injury." 

 

Learn more about giraffes and the veterinarians who help them at

 

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More About Elephants

Do elephants REALLY get stuffy noses (trunks)?

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According to Dr. Lydia Young, DVM, a veterinarian at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, YES they do!  Here is a more detailed explanation. 

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"Elephants can experience trunk inflammation, which results in narrowed nasal passages and that “stuffy nose” feeling. They also make nasal discharge (snot), just like us- and that discharge can change in color, consistency, and amount when they are sick with a viral or bacterial infection. Elephants can also develop seasonal allergies, which can cause inflammation and  “runny nose-” like symptoms.

 

To diagnose these problems, we might run blood tests to check for evidence of infection, inflammation, or allergy. We can look at samples of discharge from a trunk under a microscope or run other tests on those samples to see what kinds of cells are present or to see if there is evidence of an infectious or allergic agent. We can also use a special camera called an endoscope to get a video recording of what the inside of the trunk looks like and collect samples from way up inside the nares (nostrils) to help us determine the source of a problem.

 

Many of the treatments we use in elephants are the same as we use to treat humans. We can treat inflammation with anti-inflammatory drugs, bacterial infection with antibiotics, and allergies with antihistamines and even immunotherapy allergy shots.

 

It is also common to find minor scratches and scrapes on trunks, which isn’t too surprising- elephants use their noses for just about everything!"

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Lydia Young DVM

Veterinarian, Ethics and Wellbeing Chair

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

 

You can learn more about elephants and The Elephant Sanctuary at the:

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