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Animal >> Giraffe

Latin Name Giraffa camelopardalis

Conservation Status Least Concern

Location Africa

Colour Sandy with Brown Patches

Length 3.8 - 4.7 m (9.75 - 15 ft)

Tail 78 - 100 cm (31 - 39 inches)

Weight 0.6 - 1.9 tonnes (0.5 - 2 tons)

25 Yrs (Wild)
Life Expectancy
28 Yrs (In Captivity)
Main Characteristics

Giraffes are the tallest of all land living animals. They have a body length between 3.8 and 4.7 m
(9.75 - 15 ft), a tail length between 78 and 100 cms (31 - 39 inches), a shoulder height between
4 and 4.7 m (13.1 - 15.4 ft) and they weigh between 0.6 and 1.9 tonnes (0.5 - 2 tons).

Giraffes have long legs, a sloping back and an extremely long neck. They have a long muzzle,
medium sized ears and large eyes. On the top of their head they have bony horns called
ossicones, especially the adult males, which makes their total height to the top of their horn
tips between 4.7 and 5.3 m (15.4 - 17.4 ft) and for females 3.9 - 4.5 m (12.8 - 14.8 ft).

Their coat is short and sandy coloured with various shaped patches coloured different shades of
brown. Their mane is short and it stands upright and they have a dark tassel of hair at the tip of
their tail.

Giraffes have long, blue/black prehensile tongues which can be extended more than 45 cms (18
inches) and they use them for grasping food. They also have unique 2 or 3 lobed canine
teeth which can be used like a comb to strip leaves from branches.

The heart of a Giraffe can weigh up to 10 Kgs (22 lbs) and be approximately 61 cms (2 ft) long. It
has to generate double the normal blood pressure for an average large mammal in order to
maintain blood flow to the brain. In the upper neck Giraffes have a complex pressure regulation
system that prevents excess blood flow to the brain when the Giraffe lowers its head to drink.

Male Giraffes often engage in a ritual called "necking". This is where they both swing their neck
into each other. This can be used as a form of combat or in an affectionate manner.

Habitat

Giraffes are found in Africa but are becoming increasingly rare in the west. They live on open
grasslands that are scattered with trees.

Giraffes live in loose herds of up to 20 individuals which change daily and these herds mainly
consist of females and occasionally some younger males. Mature males often live solitary
lifestyles roaming around in search of breeding females.

A Giraffes home range averages at approximately 160 Kms (99 miles) and males are non-
territorial, although a dominance hierarchy is determined by a ritualized fight called "necking".

Diet

Giraffes feed mainly from acacia and commiphora (myrrh) trees. Because of their height they
easily pluck the leaves from the tops of these tall trees.

A Giraffe can eat up to 63 Kgs (140 lbs) of leaves and twigs per day.

Breeding

After a gestation period of approximately 457 days, 1 calf is born (2 calves are rare). Birthing
usually occurs in the dry season and the mother generally gives birth standing up.

New born calves weigh up to 70 Kgs (155 lbs) and they stand at 1.8 - 2m (5.9 - 6.6 ft) tall. Within
a few hours of being born they can run around, however for the first two weeks they spend
most of their time lying down being guarded by their mother.

After that they spend the next 4 - 5 months with other calves in nursery groups called creches.
This enables the mother to go and forage while the calves rest and socialize.

Young Giraffes are weaned at 13 months and they reach sexual maturity between 4 and 5 years
of age, although it is unlikely that males will get to mate until the are over 8 years old.

Predators

Adult Giraffes are too large to be attacked by most predators but the main predators of young
Giraffes are lions, leopards, african wild dogs and hyenas.

Only 25 - 50% of Giraffe calves reach adulthood, the rest being victims of predators.

Subspecies

There are 9 generally accepted subspecies of Giraffe. These are:

Rothschild's Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis rothchildi)
They are also known as the Baringo Giraffe or the Ugandan Giraffe. They are found in Uganda
and north-central Kenya. They have deep brown, blotched or rectangular spots with poorly
defined cream lines and they may have spotted hocks.

West African Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis peralta)
They are also known as the Nigerian Giraffe. They are found in Niger and Cameroon. They have
numerous pale yellowish/red spots.

Thornicroft Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti)
They are also known as the Rhodesian Giraffe. They are found in eastern Zambia. They have
star-shaped or leafy spots that extend to their lower leg.

Reticulated Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)
They are also known as the Somali Giraffe. They are found in north eastern Kenya, Ethiopia and
Somalia. They have large, polygonal liver-coloured spots outlined by a network of bright white
lines. The blocks may sometimes appear deep red and may extend over their legs.

Masai Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi)
They are also known as the Kilimanjaro Giraffe. They are found in central and southern Kenya
and Tanzania. They have jagged-edged, vine-leaf shaped spots of a dark chololate colour on a
yellowish background.

Angolan Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis)
They are also known as the Smoky Giraffe. They are found in Angola and Zambia. They have
large spots with some notches around the edges and they extend down the entire lower leg.

Kordofan Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum)
They are found in western and south western Sudan. They have smaller more irregular shaped
spots that cover the inner legs.

Nubian Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis)
They are found in eastern Sudan and north east Congo. They have large, four-sided spots
coloured chestnut brown on an off white background, and they have no spots on their inner
legs or below their hocks.

South African Giraffe
(Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa)
They are found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They have
rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running
down to their hooves.

Interesting Facts

Giraffes are the tallest animal in the world.

Giraffes can reach speeds of over 50 Km per hour (31 mph).

The closest relative to the Giraffe is the okapi.

The neck of the Giraffe is the longest of any animal, yet it still only has 7 cervical vertebrae, as in
most other mammals.

The Giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which is between 10
minutes and 2 hours in a 24 hour period.

Similar Animals

Okapi