SCIENCE: Fossil Evidence Just Added Fuel to The Debate Over The Purpose of Giraffe Necks. “In light of the brutal tug-of-war over resources that is natural selection, it’s been taken for granted that the giraffe’s iconic neck evolved to reach leaves other plant-eaters can’t possibly access. What seemed obvious to Charles Darwin has since attracted a great deal of scrutiny, with some biologists proposing those extended vertebrae aren’t for browsing, but rather male weapons of war in the battle for love.”