-No one giraffe spot is the same as another. (Although giraffes from the same area may have similar coat patterns.)
-Besides having a long neck, giraffes have extremely long tongues too that can be up to 21 inches long. They are usually 18-20 inches long.
-A giraffe's tongue is so long because the main staple of a giraffe's diet are the leaves of the acacia tree. Acacia trees are particularly thorny trees.
-A giraffe's tongue is purple, blue, or black.
-A giraffe can run up to 35 miles over short distances and 10 miles over long distances.
-Giraffes live in the savanna and eat mainly leaves and buds from trees and shrubs. The most common is, of course, acacia leaves. Giraffes eat a very low amount of grass.
-Giraffes can easily live 25 years long. (even longer in captivity)
-The giraffe's heart beats up to 170 times per minute.
-Male giraffes are about 17-18 feet tall.
-Female giraffes are about 15-16 feet tall.
-Female giraffes give birth standing up which causes the newborn to fall more than 5 feet to the ground at birth.
-Newborn baby giraffes called calves are 6 feet tall at birth. They can stand in half an hour after their birth and can run with their mothers in 10 hours after their birth. (ONLY 10 HOURS!!!!!!!)
-Giraffe are born with their horns, however, they lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. They only fuse with the skull later in life.
-A giraffe's legs alone are taller than many humans- about 6 feet.
-A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of leaves each week and travel miles to find enough food.
-Giraffes eat most of the time. (LIKE ME!)
-Giraffes regurgitate food and chew it as cud.
-All giraffes are predated by lions, but sub-adults and calves can also be taken by hyenas, crocodiles, leopards, and wild dogs.
-Giraffes are particularly vulnerable when drinking water, because the position they drink in leaves their neck unprotected and predators take advantage of this vulnerable state.
-One kick of a giraffe's hoove can crush a lion's skull.
-The giraffe's scientific name is Giraffa Camelopardalis.
-Giraffes are believed to have evolved from camels.
-The closest relative of the giraffe is the Okapi.
-Until recently, it was believed that there were no subspecies of giraffes. Currently, there are nine recognized subspecies of giraffes; Angolan, Kordofan, Nubian, South African, West African, Reticulated, Rothschild's, Thornicroft's, and Masai. (Note: There is more than one name for each species. See my Giraffe Species page to learn more.)
-Giraffes only need to drink water once every several days. (A giraffe can chug down 12 gallons of water in one setting!) Giraffes get most of their water from the luscious plants that they eat.
-Giraffe horns are called ossicones and both sexes have them. A giraffe has two distinct ossicones that are covered in hair. Ossicones are formed from ossified cartilage and are covered in skin. Sometimes, male giraffes use their horns to fights with other males. In some subspecies, males grow a second pair of ossicones behind the first pair.
-Giraffe normally rest while standing up, but sometimes they can be observed lying down. Occasionally, and only for very short periods of no more than 5 minutes, giraffe can sleep with their head resting back on their rump. But this is an extremely exposed and vulnerable position, hence the brevity and rarety.
-Besides having a long neck, giraffes have extremely long tongues too that can be up to 21 inches long. They are usually 18-20 inches long.
-A giraffe's tongue is so long because the main staple of a giraffe's diet are the leaves of the acacia tree. Acacia trees are particularly thorny trees.
-A giraffe's tongue is purple, blue, or black.
-A giraffe can run up to 35 miles over short distances and 10 miles over long distances.
-Giraffes live in the savanna and eat mainly leaves and buds from trees and shrubs. The most common is, of course, acacia leaves. Giraffes eat a very low amount of grass.
-Giraffes can easily live 25 years long. (even longer in captivity)
-The giraffe's heart beats up to 170 times per minute.
-Male giraffes are about 17-18 feet tall.
-Female giraffes are about 15-16 feet tall.
-Female giraffes give birth standing up which causes the newborn to fall more than 5 feet to the ground at birth.
-Newborn baby giraffes called calves are 6 feet tall at birth. They can stand in half an hour after their birth and can run with their mothers in 10 hours after their birth. (ONLY 10 HOURS!!!!!!!)
-Giraffe are born with their horns, however, they lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. They only fuse with the skull later in life.
-A giraffe's legs alone are taller than many humans- about 6 feet.
-A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of leaves each week and travel miles to find enough food.
-Giraffes eat most of the time. (LIKE ME!)
-Giraffes regurgitate food and chew it as cud.
-All giraffes are predated by lions, but sub-adults and calves can also be taken by hyenas, crocodiles, leopards, and wild dogs.
-Giraffes are particularly vulnerable when drinking water, because the position they drink in leaves their neck unprotected and predators take advantage of this vulnerable state.
-One kick of a giraffe's hoove can crush a lion's skull.
-The giraffe's scientific name is Giraffa Camelopardalis.
-Giraffes are believed to have evolved from camels.
-The closest relative of the giraffe is the Okapi.
-Until recently, it was believed that there were no subspecies of giraffes. Currently, there are nine recognized subspecies of giraffes; Angolan, Kordofan, Nubian, South African, West African, Reticulated, Rothschild's, Thornicroft's, and Masai. (Note: There is more than one name for each species. See my Giraffe Species page to learn more.)
-Giraffes only need to drink water once every several days. (A giraffe can chug down 12 gallons of water in one setting!) Giraffes get most of their water from the luscious plants that they eat.
-Giraffe horns are called ossicones and both sexes have them. A giraffe has two distinct ossicones that are covered in hair. Ossicones are formed from ossified cartilage and are covered in skin. Sometimes, male giraffes use their horns to fights with other males. In some subspecies, males grow a second pair of ossicones behind the first pair.
-Giraffe normally rest while standing up, but sometimes they can be observed lying down. Occasionally, and only for very short periods of no more than 5 minutes, giraffe can sleep with their head resting back on their rump. But this is an extremely exposed and vulnerable position, hence the brevity and rarety.