Three guesses how the giraffe weevil gets its name. Unsurprisingly, this extraordinary looking Madagascan creature gets the name from its stupendously long neck. It is three times longer in the male than the female of the species (
Trachelophorus giraffa). As such it is sexually dimorphic – the male’s neck is used for aggressive combat.
When it comes to mating, it is certainly the male of the species which is more deadly. The giraffe weevil has evolved its extended neck to fight for the right to a nearby female (which will patiently await the outcome of the fight and even occasionally act as a kind of referee before procreating with the winner). They show no aggression towards other species, neither hunting nor eating other animals. It is rare for males to kill each other in this struggle.
