Mammals: GIRAFFES

Giraffe

Giraffes are truly giant animals. They are also the tallest animals on earth. They can be found in the wild in the savannah on the continent of Africa. Its species name refers to its camel-like shape and its leopard-like coloring. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, and its distinctive coat patterns.

 

A Giraffe’s Height

Giraffes can grow up to 17 feet tall and weigh as much as 3,000 pounds. The male giraffes, called bulls, are typically larger than the females, called cows. The babies aren't exactly small either. A baby giraffe, called a calf, is 6 feet tall at birth! Their extreme height allows them to eat leaves and shoots located much higher than other animals can reach.

A Giraffe’s Diet

Giraffes are herbivores, meaning they eat plants rather than meat. They use their long necks and tongues (which they can stick out up to a foot and a half!) to get to leaves on trees. Their favorite types of leaves are from the acacia tree. Giraffes don't need to drink water very often because there is so much water in the leaves they eat. However, when they do drink water, they can drink several gallons at a time.

Baby Giraffes

Baby giraffes are called calves. They can walk within a few minutes of being born. Baby giraffes are very vulnerable to predators and many of them do not survive the first week of life. Their mothers do everything they can to protect them. They help them to hide in the grass and will fiercely try to fight off predators. Young giraffes grow very fast and can grow over 2 inches in a single day! They stay with their mothers for about 2 years until they are big enough to take care of themselves.

Baby Giraffe Sleeping

Necking

Male giraffes use their necks as weapons in combat, a behavior known as "necking". Necking is used to establish dominance and males that win necking bouts have greater reproductive success. 

 

Male Giraffes Necking

 

Giraffes communication 

 Fun Facts About Giraffes

• The interesting pattern of a giraffe's coat is likely for camouflage.
• At one time people in Africa called them camel-leopards because they looked like a combination of a camel and a leopard.
• When a giraffe baby is born it will fall five to six feet to the ground and typically land on its head.
• Newborns can stand within 30 minutes of being born and can run after about 10 hours.
• Despite their long necks, they have the same number of vertebrae as a human…seven