<b>Dining at heights: linked decision-making shapes resource acquisition in a social megaherbivore</b>

Feeding height varied with sex, local social conditions, and time of day, and higher feeding positions were associated with faster bite rates. Females had higher bite rates than males, while bite rate also increased with the number of conspecifics sharing a feeding patch. Individuals with higher bite rates remained longer in feeding patches.

Additionally, individuals stayed longer in patches when travel to the next patch was more costly. Greater distances between successive patches increased travel time, while longer patch residence and travel times reduced the number of patches used. Giraffes also used more feeding patches in open grassland and open woodland than in closed woodland.

Taken together, our results suggest that animal foraging emerges from linked decision-making shaped by individual characteristics, social context, and fine-scale resource configuration. More broadly, this study demonstrates the value of treating foraging as an integrated decision-making process rather than a collection of independent behaviors.</p>