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Giraffe

Giraffa camelopardalis

“Perspective”

     Tallest of all mammals, the Giraffe attains an overall height of 18 feet or more and a weight of 4000 lbs.  Like most mammals, the neck has only seven vertebrae which are greatly elongated to support its' extremely long and muscular neck.  Two to four short, skin covered horns are present in both sexes and there is a central swelling between the eyes.  The long flexible 15-inch tongue and long muscular upper lip are used to rip leaves from branches.  As Giraffes' age, their chestnut brown blotches darken, as each set of makings is unique to each animal.

     The Giraffe can go for over a month without drinking and the few times they do, they must spread their long forelegs widely to reach the water.  The gait of a Giraffe is a pace (both legs on one side move together) and it is able to obtain speeds up top 30 miles and hour at full gallop.

     Giraffes have a very keen sense of smell and hearing and an outstanding sense of sight.  They live in herds led by an adult bull and consisting of cows, calves and sexually immature males.  A female usually gives birth to one calf and does so while standing so that the newborn's first experience outside the womb is a six-foot drop!  The calf can follow its mother within one to two hours after its birth.

     The Giraffe's principal predator, other than the lion……is man.