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
The tallest animal on earth
Photo taken at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania by Greg Adventures Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
30 Aug 2019
Giraffes, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
Photo taken at Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda by Crystal Safaris Ltd. Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
03 Nov 2015
Mt. Kilimanjaro backdrop, Giraffes in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Photo taken at Amboseli National Park, Kenya by Tamasha Afrika Amboseli National Park, Kenya
27 Feb 2015
Photo taken at Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya by ketsafaris Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
02 Sep 2019
Boat Safari in Lake Manze with Giraffes crossing the channel, Selous Game R...
Photo taken at Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania by Essential Destinations Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
19 Sep 2015
Giraffe, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Photo taken at Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya by Exciting Africa Holidays Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
16 Jul 2019
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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