Giraffe
World's tallest land mammal
Behavior and diet
The giraffe is the largest ruminant animal and the tallest land mammal, with an adult giraffe neck averaging a staggering 1.8m / 6ft in length! The same goes for an adult giraffe's legs. The average lenght is around 1.8m, making its legs taller than most humans. The main diet of the giraffe is tree leaves and buds. It has a prehensile tongue that is dark blue-black in color and is extremely long (45-50 centimeters or 18-20 inches). This construction allows the giraffe to nimbly wrap its tongue around the spiny thorns of the acacia tree and deftly remove the leaves without any harm to its mouth or tongue. Nine sub-species of giraffe are recognized, including the South African giraffe, Rothschild’s giraffe and Masai giraffe. The gestation period for a female is 14 months and they normally give birth to one young.
Did you know?
- Giraffes sleep around two hours a night.
- A giraffe's pattern is like a human fingerprint: no two are the same.
- A giraffe's tongue is blue!
Giraffe photos
www.ketsafaris.com
Photo taken at Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya by Kenya Expresso Tours and Safaris (KETS) Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
31 Jan 2020
Majestic Giraffe, Kruger National Park, South Africa
Photo taken at Kruger National Park, South Africa by Armadillo Overland Safari & Adventure Tours(Not trading) Kruger National Park, South Africa
06 Jun 2015
Giraffe at Okapuka Game Ranch, Namibia
Photo taken at Namibia by Crisscross Namibia Safaris Namibia
11 Sep 2015
Giraffe and elephants, Samburu National Reserve, Kenya
Photo taken at Samburu National Reserve, Kenya by Kenya Turacos Safaris Samburu National Reserve, Kenya
25 Mar 2015
The giraffe is one of the national symbols of Tanzania.
Photo taken at Arusha National Park, Tanzania by Itaka Safaris Arusha National Park, Tanzania
09 May 2016
Masai Girrafe, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Photo taken at Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya by African Breeze Tours Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
10 Mar 2015
Found in these countries:
Botswana
DR Congo
Kenya
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
International giraffe day is celebrated on 21 June
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