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Open my wish list →Giraffes usually live in savannahs and woodlands in Africa. Here are three true things about giraffes as a group.
Giraffes are the tallest living animals on land. Both males and females have horn-like bumps called ossicones, which can reach 13.5 centimetres.
SourceA giraffe's long neck does not come from having extra neck bones. It comes from neck bones that grew much longer.
SourceEach giraffe has its own unique coat pattern. Their range stretches from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south.
SourceFirst steps
A giraffe calf comes into the world front feet first, followed by its head, neck and shoulders. The umbilical cord is only about 1 metre long, so it breaks partway through the birth, and the newborn drops to the ground. The fall and the landing don't hurt the calf, but they do make it take a big breath. At birth a calf is about 1.8 metres tall. It can stand up and walk after about an hour, and within a week it starts to try plants. Later, mothers leave their calves together in a nursery. One mother stays to babysit while the others go off to eat, and the calves play and explore.
SourceThorny lunch
Giraffes may eat up to 34 kilograms of food a day. They spend most of their day eating, because they get just a few leaves in each bite. Their favourite leaves come from acacia trees. These trees have long thorns that keep most wildlife from eating them, but the thorns don't stop a giraffe. It uses its 46-centimetre tongue and its gripping lips to reach around the thorns. It is thought that the dark colour of its tongue protects it from sunburn while it reaches for leaves. Giraffes also have thick, sticky saliva that coats any thorns they might swallow.
SourceOkapia johnstoni
The okapi has stripes like a zebra's, but it is most closely related to the giraffe. It lives in forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it uses its long, black tongue to groom its ears and eyes.
SourceGiraffa tippelskirchi
It lives in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and part of Zambia, and its jagged, leaf-like blotches reach from its hooves to its head. It is the national animal of Tanzania. Research in 2016 found there are likely four separate species of giraffe rather than just one.
SourceGiraffa reticulata
It comes from the Horn of Africa, and today it is most commonly found in Kenya. Its coat has large, block-like, liver-red spots, and its markings even cover its lower legs, tail and face.
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