Giraffes

The giraffe is an African mammal, the tallest of all land living animals. It is covered in large, irregular patches of yellow to black fur separated by white. The average mass for an adult male giraffe is 1,191 kilograms while the average mass for an adult female is 828 kilograms. It is approximately 4.3 metres to 5.2 metres tall. The giraffes eat grass and drink water.

Giraffes have long legs Giraffes have long legs. When hunting adult giraffes, lions try to knock the animal off its feet and pull it down. Giraffes are difficult and dangerous prey. The giraffe defends itself with a powerful kick. A single well-placed kick from an adult giraffe can shatter a lion's skull or break its spine. Lions are the only predators which pose a serious threat to an adult giraffe.

All the giraffes have horns, although the horns of female are smaller All the giraffes have horns, although the horns of female are smaller. Giraffes have long necks which they use to reach tree leaves. They also eat grass and fruits. The giraffe's tongue is 45 cm long and is hard enough to eat the thorns of trees. A giraffe's heart, which can weigh up to 10 kg and measure about 60 cm long, must generate approximately double the normal blood pressure for an average large mammal to maintain blood flow to the brain.

The mother giraffe gives birth to a single calf after a period of 15 months. At birth a giraffe is taller than most people and weighs around 45kg. They grow at an astonishing rate of up to 2.5cm a day! Males grow to about 5m and females 4.5m tall. Baby giraffes are vulnerable to predators such as lions, hyena and leopards. As much as 50% don’t make it past 6 months of age. They start eating solid food at about 2 months of age but are usually only completely weaned at about 18 months.

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