post.json

{
  "post": {
    "id": "t3_627akk",
    "title": "Do giraffes get struck by lightning more often than other animals?",
    "author": {
      "username": "[deleted]",
      "id": null
    },
    "score": 32564,
    "upvote_ratio": 0.9223354752935963,
    "num_comments": 924,
    "created": "2017-03-29T15:25:25.729000+0000",
    "body": null,
    "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/do_giraffes_get_struck_by_lightning_more_often/",
    "external_url": null,
    "domain": "self.askscience",
    "is_locked": null,
    "is_removed": null
  },
  "comments": [
    {
      "id": "t1_dfkbj5r",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": 8868,
      "author": {
        "username": "electric_ionland",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "So this is not my area of expertise and I hope other more qualified people chime in but I have found some informations (some of it even peer reviewed!). This article [1] talks about how four legged animals are more vulnerable to lightning strikes because ground current has high chances to go through vital organs. It also describes how large animals such as giraffes and elephants have higher chances of deadly strikes. There is the obvious thing about the fact that they are tall so even under a tree there is a non-negligeable chance that lighting could jump directly to their head. The other less obvious one is that even if they are not directly hit, the large distance their legs span increased the voltage (and potentially the current) going though them (as described in this figure). Sadly the article lacks hard numbers on strike frequency depending on the species. This blog post seems to suggest that giraffes getting killed by lightning is not that uncommon. Between 1996 and 1999 the Rhino and Lion Reserve near Krugersdorp, South Africa, had two of its three giraffes killed by lightning – the third animal (a juvenile) was also struck but survived. Betsy the giraffe was killed by lightning at Walt Disney World in Florida in 2003 (in front of lots of witnesses). ... A juvenile giraffe at Louisiana’s Global Wildlife Center, named Dusty, was killed after lightning struck a nearby tree. [1] Gomes, Chandima. \"Lightning safety of animals .\" International journal of biometeorology 56.6 (2012): 1011-1023.",
      "created": "2017-03-29T16:17:47.338000+0000",
      "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkbj5r/",
      "replies": [
        {
          "id": "t1_dfkc49u",
          "parent_id": "t1_dfkbj5r",
          "depth": 1,
          "score": 2660,
          "author": {
            "username": "pwrwisdomcourage",
            "id": null
          },
          "body": "It's also important to remember many of these (with the african elephant anyways, not sure about indian) are Savannah animals where there are rarely trees which come close to their height. I would imagine they would be like giant lightning rods",
          "created": "2017-03-29T16:27:42.091000+0000",
          "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkc49u/",
          "replies": []
        },
        {
          "id": "t1_dfkevh3",
          "parent_id": "t1_dfkbj5r",
          "depth": 1,
          "score": 472,
          "author": {
            "username": "PHealthy",
            "id": null
          },
          "body": "I'm really sad for Brachiosaurus now.",
          "created": "2017-03-29T17:15:20.542000+0000",
          "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkevh3/",
          "replies": []
        },
        {
          "id": "t1_dfkeiep",
          "parent_id": "t1_dfkbj5r",
          "depth": 1,
          "score": 91,
          "author": {
            "username": "vagijn",
            "id": null
          },
          "body": "in front of lots of witnesses . Ledder said the lighting struck while visitors were in the park, but she did not know if anyone witnessed it. The cause of the giraffe's death was determined by a necropsy. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2003-07-24/news/0307240055_1_giraffe-disney-world-animal-animal-kingdom I can not find any reports about witnesses.",
          "created": "2017-03-29T17:09:03.198000+0000",
          "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkeiep/",
          "replies": []
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "t1_dfklrzf",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": 6455,
      "author": {
        "username": "[deleted]",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "Thanks for all of the info, guys. I posted this after waking up from a dream in which giraffes were being struck by lightning, of all things.",
      "created": "2017-03-29T19:15:24.280000+0000",
      "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfklrzf/",
      "replies": [
        {
          "id": "t1_dfl1qf7",
          "parent_id": "t1_dfklrzf",
          "depth": 1,
          "score": 362,
          "author": {
            "username": "AbeLaney",
            "id": null
          },
          "body": "I'm glad you asked it, it's never occurred to me but some very interesting answers.",
          "created": "2017-03-30T00:28:49.073000+0000",
          "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfl1qf7/",
          "replies": []
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "t1_dfkjr6z",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": 702,
      "author": {
        "username": "[deleted]",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "Comment removed by moderator",
      "created": "2017-03-29T18:40:11.505000+0000",
      "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkjr6z/",
      "replies": [
        {
          "id": "t1_dfknjtr",
          "parent_id": "t1_dfkjr6z",
          "depth": 1,
          "score": null,
          "author": {
            "username": "[deleted]",
            "id": null
          },
          "body": "Comment deleted by user",
          "created": "2017-03-29T19:46:22.253000+0000",
          "permalink": null,
          "replies": []
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "t1_dfkl4lj",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": null,
      "author": {
        "username": "[deleted]",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "Comment deleted by user",
      "created": "2017-03-29T19:03:55.599000+0000",
      "permalink": null,
      "replies": []
    },
    {
      "id": "t1_dfkh0cp",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": 137,
      "author": {
        "username": "[deleted]",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "Comment removed by moderator",
      "created": "2017-03-29T17:51:54.669000+0000",
      "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkh0cp/",
      "replies": []
    },
    {
      "id": "t1_dfkyizq",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": 137,
      "author": {
        "username": "[deleted]",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "Giraffes get struck by lightning more often because they are the tallest standing object in an open area... People will talk all day about biochemistry and whatnot, but I'm an electrical engineer and I can tell you that they are struck by lightning more solely because they are the shortest path to ground.",
      "created": "2017-03-29T23:18:06.796000+0000",
      "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkyizq/",
      "replies": [
        {
          "id": "t1_dfl0l77",
          "parent_id": "t1_dfkyizq",
          "depth": 1,
          "score": 52,
          "author": {
            "username": "catsfive",
            "id": null
          },
          "body": "What I want to know is, when a thunderstorm comes, do they lie down?",
          "created": "2017-03-30T00:03:49.847000+0000",
          "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfl0l77/",
          "replies": []
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "t1_dfl3z4d",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": 76,
      "author": {
        "username": "[deleted]",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "Actually Reindeer heards in Russia get nuked by lighting more often than any other animal on earth. Due to them grazing or traveling in a tight pack on the open Plains, a single strike has killed over 1500 reindeer in Russia, with a similar event in Norway I believe it was killed around 1000.",
      "created": "2017-03-30T01:16:36.905000+0000",
      "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfl3z4d/",
      "replies": []
    },
    {
      "id": "t1_dfkq4b3",
      "parent_id": null,
      "depth": 0,
      "score": 81,
      "author": {
        "username": "Discko14",
        "id": null
      },
      "body": "Considering taller objects always have a higher risk of conducting lightning strikes i would say yes although i laughed thinking who is out there compiling data on the amount of lightning strikes on giraffes. Yup theres a fried one, sixth this month!",
      "created": "2017-03-29T20:31:44.671000+0000",
      "permalink": "https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/627akk/comment/dfkq4b3/",
      "replies": []
    }
  ],
  "comments_returned": 14,
  "_meta": {
    "source": "svc-comments+post-page",
    "sort": "top",
    "pages_fetched": 2,
    "truncated": true
  }
}