Giraffes, as the tallest animals, are particularly susceptible to being hit by lightning, with there having been multiple reports of giraffes being struck at safari parks and zoos around the world. "As far as lightning strikes, they will result in multisystemic dysfunction in the animal.
A case study of the giraffes' deaths was published this month in the African Journal of Ecology. The lightning strike apparently hit one giraffe on the top of its head, judging by a fracture in the skull near the base of its antler-like ossicone, George Dvorsky reports for Gizmodo.
Varying degrees of electric shock may occur. In most instances of electrocution by lightning stroke, death is instantaneous and the animal falls without a struggle.
and 2010 , Darren Naish of Tetrapod Zoology tallied up even more such strange deaths-by-lightning, including sheep, cows, elephants, antelope and giraffes. And as with humans, there are animal survivors, too.
What animal gets struck by lightning -- the most? Cattle and sheep are common victims. Guinness reports that the largest recorded number of livestock killed by a single lightning bolt is 68.
When lightning strikes, most of electrical discharge occurs near the water's surface. Most fish swim below the surface and are unaffected. Although scientists don't know exactly just how deep the lightning discharge reaches in water, it's very dangerous to be swimming or boating during a thunderstorm.
Death from a lightning strike is almost always instantaneous. Cattle may have grass in their mouth, normal rumen content and fecal material. In these lightning strike cases, rigor mortis quickly sets in and passes.
The electricity that does enters a person's body can cause devastating neurological damage, including memory loss, chronic pain and seizures in addition to the relatively superficial burns on the outside of someone's skin. About 10% of people struck by lightning are killed.
Although biologists agree that it is entirely possible that marine mammals do get killed by lightning.
Some electroreceptive animals are echidnas, platypuses, bees, spiders, dolphins, sharks and rays. Some types of bacteria, yeast and fish are also electrogenic.
Electrocution is painful, so it is essential that animals are stunned before it is carried out. In practice, this is achieved by using equipment that delivers current initially through the brain, and then through the brain and heart simultaneously.
Lightning also strikes birds. An observer once saw a bolt of lightning strike a large flock of migrating snow geese, dropping more than 50 of the birds. Bald eagles have been struck while sitting on their nests, and John James Audubon described two common nighthawks blown from the sky by a lightning bolt.
“Occasionally you can see burnt feet, but more often there is no sign of lightning because they [cattle] are so well grounded…with their four feet in the ground, it just goes right through them” he stated. Dr.
Three giraffes are fatally electrocuted by low-hanging electricity cables at Kenyan wildlife park.
Although few predators attack adults, lions, hyenas, and leopards take their toll on the young. Scientists report that only one-quarter of infants survive to adulthood due to the high rates of predation.
A giraffe with a broken neck has proved its survival instinct after surviving for FIVE YEARS with a zig zag spine. The Masai giraffe was discovered by photographer Mark Drysdale whilst in the Serengeti on safari.
A lightning strike can damage your pool's pump, filter and heater. The strike overloads the electrical circuits and can ruin the equipment. You can install surge protectors to prevent lightning from damaging your pool, but that's just another cost that makes pool ownership too expensive.
Lightning doesn't strike the ocean as much as land, but when it does,it spreads out over the water, which acts as a conductor. It can hit boats that are nearby, and electrocute fish that are near the surface. If you're at the beach and hear thunder or see lightning, get out of the water.
On its journey to find water, the lightning could create a hole in the hull; if this infiltration occurs below the waterline, your boat could sink.
Risk Factors for Lightning Strikes
A UQ mathematician, Professor Peter Adams, calculated that Australians have a 1 in 12,000 chance of being struck by lightning, which is more than 650 times the chance of winning the Lotto, which is one in eight million.
In addition, ground current can travel in garage floors with conductive materials. Because the ground current affects a much larger area than the other causes of lightning casualties, the ground current causes the most lightning deaths and injuries. Ground current also kills many farm animals.
A lightning bolt would explode the glass window before it would travel through the glass. Storm lightning is so fast that even if it were to hit a window, the window would shatter from the heat and speed.
Lightning is something to be taken very seriously, especially when horses are concerned. Lightning strikes can injure horses. While 70% of humans that are struck by lightning survive, the injury is fatal in most horses, but not all.
In the event that lightning hits the car, your cat could be injured or killed by the electrical surge. This is true even for pets that have outdoor shelter, like a dog or cat house. These are generally not considered to be safe in the event of a storm.
“Generally, if horses are in a pasture with trees or near a lightning rod, the risk of the horse being struck is greatly diminished. A three-sided shelter can help to keep them warm and dry during a storm in addition to shielding them from lightning strikes,” says Dominguez.