The giraffe has tough lips to ensure there is no damage to their mouths when chewing at trees and twigs such as thorns. When searching for more food they will venture into areas with denser foliage. Giraffes drink large quantities of water and as a result, they can spend long periods of time in dry, arid areas. Male giraffes are also more inclined to wander into dense woodland, a habitat that females generally avoid. Because of this characteristic behaviour, a giraffe can be identified as either male or female from a long distance away simply by its stance while eating. Males concentrate on leaves from the highest branches, while the females arch their necks to eat closer to the ground.
When there is a choice, male and female giraffes feed in different ways.
In the wild giraffes can eat up to 66 kilograms of food daily. Also, twigs and branches are pulled into the mouth of the giraffe with their long and dextrous tongues. During the dry season, giraffes eat evergreen leaves, however, once the rainy season begins, they switch to new leaves and stems that sprout on deciduous trees. Giraffes live in habitats where the available food varies throughout the year. But populations there have fallen sharply and become increasingly fragmented.
Until the middle of the 20th century giraffes were also commonly found in West Africa, south of the Sahara. Most giraffes live either in East Africa or in Angola and Zambia in southwestern Africa. Giraffes prefer areas enriched with acacia growth (a genus of shrubs and trees). Giraffes can inhabit savannas, grasslands or open woodlands. Mature giraffes have large hooves about the size of dinner plates, around 12 inches wide. Compared to other hoofed mammals the giraffe has a relatively short body, however, its legs are disproportionately long.Ī giraffes front legs are about 10% longer than their hind legs, a feature that contributes to the animals steeply sloping back. Exceptionally large males may weigh up to 1,900 kilograms (about 4,200 pounds).įemale giraffes are smaller, rarely reaching half that weight. In addition to its great height, the giraffe is also one of the heaviest land animals. Their tail can grow to be 8 feet (2.4 metres) long, including the tuft on the end. The giraffe has the longest tail of any land mammal. Adult males stand 15 – 19 feet (4.6 – 6.0 metres) tall, whereas females are shorter at 13 – 16 feet (4 – 4.8 metres) tall.Īdult males weigh between 1,764 – 4,255 pounds (800 – 930 kilograms), while females weigh only 1,213 – 2,601 pounds (550 – 1,180 kilograms). The giraffe is the tallest living animal which is instantly recognizable by its exceptionally long neck. Male giraffes are called ‘Bulls’, female giraffes are called ‘Cows’ and baby giraffes are called ‘Calves’. The giraffes ancestors first appeared in central Asia about 15 million years ago, however, the earliest fossil records of the giraffe itself, from Israel and Africa, date back about 1.5 million years. Although the Okapi is much shorter than the giraffe, it also has a long neck and eats leaves and both animals have long tongues and skin-covered horns. The giraffes range extends from Chad to South Africa. The giraffe is related to deer and cattle, however, it is placed in a separate family, the Giraffidae, consisting only of the giraffe and its closest relative, the okapi. The Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis meaning ‘fast walking camel leopard) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species.
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