They a very long neck and good eyesight which allows them to get a good view of distant territories around them. Moreover, they have sleep time around two hours and they sleep in small periods of 5 minutes instead of taking a long sleep.
Giraffe Information
Family: Giraffidae (Giraffes)
Scientific name: Giraffa camelopardalis
Average shoulder height: Males – 4 m (13 ft); Females – 3.5 m (11.5 ft).
Weight: Males – 1200 kg (2,600 lb); Females – 800 kg (1,700 lb).
Gestation period: 457 days
Life expectancy: 20 – 30 yrs
Appearance
The giraffe is Africa’s tallest mammal, reaching full heights of more than 5 m (16.4 ft). The attractive marking is made up of irregular patches, in varying shades of brown, on a cream or buff background.
Males are larger and darker than females, have thicker horns and have a lump on the forehead. The horn tips are bald in males and old females while hairy in younger females.
Behaviour
Giraffe are most active in the early morning and late afternoon but also feed at night in bright moonlight.
However, unlike many of Africa’s wild animals that “disappear” under shady trees during the heat of the day, giraffe continue browsing and because of their size, can be spotted throughout daylight hours.
Giraffe will drink if water is available, but can survive without it. The forelegs are straddled and the knees bent in order to get the head down low enough. While drinking they are very vulnerable and will not drink if suspicious of danger.
Females, calves and juveniles occur in herds of about 10 with only very loose social ties, and a flexible membership. Young males may form small bachelor groups. Mature bulls are nearly always alone, except when they join a female herd for mating. Young males spar by neck wrestling, twisting their necks together and trying to push the opponent off balance.
Reproduction
The giraffe is the only ruminant with gestation longer than a year and a single calf weighing 100kg is born after a gestation of 457days.
Giraffe reach sexual maturity in four to six years. Social bonds between mother and calf persist beyond weaning, until the birth of her next offspring. Calves suffer heavy predation; first year mortality can be over 40%.
Diet
An exclusive browser, the giraffe eats leaves, fresh shoots, flowers, pods, and fruits from trees, of which acacias are the most important source of food.
Leaves are removed from thorny branches by combing them between the teeth. Twigs and branches are pulled into the mouth with the long and dextrous tongue.
Sounds
Giraffe are usually silent. They bellow, grunt or snort when alarmed, as when confronted by lions, and can also moo in distress.
Above information from The Ultimate Field Guide and other African mammal field guides.
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Giraffe Babies
Giraffe’s babies are called calves and at the time of birth, their height is around 2 meters and weighs 70 kg. Newborn babies are very vulnerable so their mothers try everything to protect them from predators. Their growth rate is fast, they can grow 2 inches in a day.
They can eat leaves of trees at extreme heights where other animals can’t reach. They have a long tongue which helps them in pulling leaves from trees. A full-grown giraffe can eat up to 45 kg of food a day, leaving them spending most of their day eating. Their favorite food is the acacia tree. Giraffes don’t need much amount of water, because they get most of the water from the leaves they eat. This is good for them because giraffes have to bend down to drink water which makes them vulnerable to attacks from lions and other hunters.
Habitat
Giraffes are found in the savanna areas of the African continent. They prefer to live in open areas, as it helps them in pointing their predators. Also, their height is quite large and living in thick forests will make it difficult for them to move.
In the latest report of 2019 from IUCN, Giraffes have placed in the list of endangered species. There are around 100,000 giraffes living in the wild. Their number is dropping due to various reasons, such as loss of habitat as a result of deforestation and illegal hunting.
Interesting Facts
- Giraffe’s legs measure about 6 feet tall – longer than the height of most people.
- Giraffes live most part of their life in standing position – even during sleep. Because it saves them from predators’ attacks that mostly target their neck.
- Every giraffe has its own pattern design and doesn’t matches with other giraffes – much like human fingerprints. This fact helps in distinguishing one giraffe from others.
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