Michael Attaleiates : Historiae (History) (d1080)

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Taken from: The History by Michael Attaleiates

In addition to this animal (elephant) the emperor (Monomachos) displayed before his people the so-called camel-leopard (the giraffe) which he had sent from Egypt. As its name indicates it has a composed name, has panther spots and the size of a camel, as well as its head and its protruding and thin neck, except that its neck rises upright and is not strongly bent like that of the camel. And in the middle of the back no hump rises, so it retains a straight line of the spine up to the tail, but not at the same height; for the back rises to a considerable height, but the hips are lower and more sloping position, so that it resembles hill that rises up, which begins at a low point. The gait is different from that of the other animals and completely alien; for she does not raise the hind feet and then the forefeet like those first, but she raises and alternately sets the two feet of one side in motion, and as well the two feet of the other side in a uniform movement and uplift.