Meet Nuk — an orphaned gerenuk who has never taken a sip of water.
Nuk was found as a baby and raised by the staff at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya.
“We rescued Nuk … in 2013 when he surprised livestock herders by walking home with their goats,” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote on Facebook. “He had obviously lost his mother and decided the passing goats looked like a good next thing!”
For most animals, staying hydrated in a hot climate is important — but gerenuks don’t play by the rules. These animals are hard to miss, with long, slender necks, tiny heads and large eyes and ears that give them an alien appearance.
The Gerenuk’s unique look helps them reach plants that antelopes and gazelles can’t. By standing on their hind legs and extending their giraffe-like necks, they have their pick of the tall bushes and high branches. And they’re even taller than most humans.
Thanks to their diet and special noses, gerenuks never have to go searching for water.
“They can get enough moisture from the plant life they eat and can survive in dry thornbush country and even in the desert,” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote on its website. “Gerenuks conserve water with uniquely adapted nasal passages, which prevent evaporative loss.”
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