They are often called the watchtowers of the Serengeti, keeping track of predators. Giraffes have seven elongated vertebrae in their neck unlike most mammals, an adaptation for feeding high in the trees.For the first four to five months, calves congregate in nursery groups called creches to rest and socialize while mothers forage in the distance.A mother giraffe often gives birth while standing so that the newborn's first experience outside the womb is a 1.8 m (6 ft.) drop!.This gait is called a pace and allows a longer stride which saves steps and energy. Long-legged giraffes walk with the limbs on one side of the body lifted at the same time.Bull giraffes forage higher in trees than cow giraffes which reduces food competition between the sexes.Giraffes strip leaves from thorny acacia trees, sometimes colonized by ants, with their 45 cm (18 in.) long, prehensile tongues.Size Height (to top of head): newborns average 1.8 m (6 ft.) adults range 4.25 to 5.5 m (14 to 18 ft.)įemale: Up to 5.3 m (15.7 ft.) Weight Male: 1,100 to 1,915 kg (2,420 to 4,215 lbs.)įemale: 700 to 1,181 kg (1,540 to 2,600 lbs.) Diet Selective browsers that prefer new growth foliage of acacia, mimosa brush, and Combretum trees 2 to 5 m (6.6 to 16.5 ft.) high feed on shoots & leaves of 100+ plant species, including some herbs choice determined by seasonal and local availability Incubation Approximately 15 months (450 to 465 days) typically one offspring at a time Sexual Maturity Male: Approximately 3.5 years usually will not breed until at least 8 years of ageįemale: Approximately 4 to 5 years Life Span 20 to 25 years, 28 year approximate max Range African regions south of the Sahara Desert Habitat Savannah, bush, scrub, and open acacia woodlands semi-arid regions to regions of dense vegetation Population Global: Unknown Status IUCN: Lower Risk/Conservation DependentĬurrently not protected except within national parks The background coloring is cream with borders of gold to orange and the splotches are brown to black. It is a hooved mammal with short, wiry hair that varies in colors among the various races. Scientific Classification Common Name giraffe Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Artiodactyla Family Giraffidae Genus Species Giraffa (one who walks swiftly) camelopardalis (camel marked like a leopard)įast Facts Description Giraffes are the tallest of the land animals.
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