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Giraffe Unique Features That You May Not Know
Giraffes are considered to be one of the most amazing animals in the world. Giraffes are a part of the Giraffidae family and are the world's tallest living mammals. Giraffes were once spread over a large area in Africa. But today they can only be seen in open woodlands and savannas.
You will be surprised to know that giraffes can live for 21 days without drinking water which is longer than a camel. This is due to the diet and constant eating of giraffes where giraffes get water from the leaves they eat.
Let us also tell you that when a giraffe drinks water, it can drink up to 54 liters at a time. The special thing about giraffes is that giraffes sleep from 10 minutes to 2 hours a day which is one of the lowest sleeping requirements among other animals. Apart from this, giraffes can sleep standing with open eyes for 3 to 5 minutes at a time.
The heart of this huge animal is about 2 feet long and weighs about 10 kg. Not only this, to maintain blood flow in the brain, the heart of a giraffe has to generate twice the blood pressure as compared to a large animal. Apart from this, there are more amazing facts about giraffes which you will read further in this article.
Let us know where the giraffe lives, what the giraffe eats and how long do giraffes live. If you are fond of birds and animals and want to know about the life and behavior of birds and animals, then you can read other articles on Kv Facts.
Where Are Giraffe Found
Giraffes are four-legged hoofed animals that can be seen roaming the savannas and woodlands of Africa. Giraffes' long necks, large patterned bodies and stubby bones on their heads make them one of the most easily recognizable of all animals on earth.
A giraffe sleeps for about 10 minutes to 2 hours a day and giraffes sleep the most at night but they keep taking short naps throughout the day. You will be surprised to know that giraffes can survive with very little sleep compared to other animals.
These animals can survive and work regularly with only 30 minutes of sleep. Apart from this, giraffe is an animal that sleeps standing and sometimes lying down. Giraffes mostly sleep standing to avoid predators and sleep only for a short time.
Scientific Name Of Giraffe
The scientific name of the giraffe is Giraffa camelopardalis and like most artiodactyls, giraffes are sexually dimorphic meaning that the males are much larger than the females and the ossicones on top of their heads are slightly different in shape.
These animals are classified as artiodactyls or even-toed ungulates which are in the same mammalian family as whales, pigs, deer and cows and all evolved from a common ancestor about 50 million years ago.
The blood pressure of a giraffe is twice that of humans and giraffes have the highest blood pressure than any other animal because of the enormous height that a giraffe needs to survive.
You will be surprised to know that the heart of a giraffe is much more powerful than the normal blood pressure of 110/70 and its blood pressure is around 220/80. Humans have a blood pressure of only around 120/80Hg and if their blood pressure was the same as that of giraffes it would be fatal.
Giraffes have an amazing cardio-circulatory system which is useful for their large size. The heart of a giraffe is small for its body size but is surrounded by thick muscles in the left ventricle to pump blood up to its head. Not only this, their heart can pump as fast as 170 bpm.
Giraffe Habitat
The most suitable habitat for these animals is dry, barren land and they inhabit grasslands, savannas and open forests. The giraffe habitat stretches from Chad southwards to South Africa and from Niger eastwards to Somalia. Giraffes are mostly found in areas with acacia trees.
Giraffes can be seen living together in large groups called towers. Each tower consists of about 10 to 20 giraffes and some of their groups can be as large as about 50 giraffes. Each group is different and can consist of all females, male giraffes or other giraffes.
A large group of giraffes is more prepared to deal with predators and apart from this, giraffes can come and go at will within the tower. One of the best features of the giraffe is its spots and each giraffe has a pattern of spots which is similar to humans and their fingerprints.
You will be surprised to know that it is difficult for a human to tell the difference between giraffe spots but giraffes who live together use them to differentiate their family members. Giraffe spots are not only for show but are also used for camouflage and heat release.
How Do Giraffe Look Like
These animals are easily recognized due to their particularly long neck and the legs of the giraffe are long and solid. The hind legs are shorter than the front legs and the eyes are quite large and the ears are medium sized.
The tail of the giraffe is long and thin with a black tuft of hair at the tip. Bony horns or ossicones are present on the top of the head of this animal. Most of the giraffe horns are medium sized in both males and females.
Male giraffes can sometimes develop another pair of horns behind the first pair. Female giraffes are identified by thin and tufted ossicones while male giraffes have thick horns with hair that becomes smooth due to fights. Read- Snowy owl Special Feature Of That You May Not Know
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Height And Weight Giraffe
The neck of a giraffe is considered to be one of its most notable features and a male giraffe weighs about 800 to 1900 kg. Female giraffes weigh about 550 to 1200 kilograms.
Male giraffes are about 16 to 18 feet tall and females are about 14 to 16 feet tall. The long necks of these animals are very useful for them to reach the leaves of the trees and keep an eye on nearby predators.
Male giraffes can also be seen fighting where they turn their large necks towards each other. Humans and giraffes have the same number of vertebrae but their length can be more than 10 inches.
What Do Giraffe Eat
Giraffes are herbivorous animals with their diet consisting mainly of acacia trees. When acacia is not available, these animals also eat flowers, fruits, buds and wild apricots. Apart from this, giraffes like to eat seeds and fresh grass after the rain.
Many people do not know that giraffes are one of the largest pollinators in Africa. Giraffes keep transferring pollen from tree to tree like bees. Pollen sticks to the body of the giraffe and is transferred to the next plant when they eat.
Giraffes rarely drink water as about 70% of the required moisture is obtained from their diet. Acacia leaves and flowers are their favorite food and giraffes spend most of their day eating and pollinating.
Due to their large size, giraffes spend a lot of time eating in the morning and evening and rest standing up during the night. Giraffes will rest in shady areas in the heat of the day and regurgitate their food.
How Do Giraffe Reproduce
To protect the babies from predators, female giraffes and their babies gather in small herds and stay together constantly. Male giraffes prefer to live a solitary life and travel long distances to find females for breeding.
In these animals, male giraffes clash with each other for females, clashing heads and interlocking necks to protect their mating rights. The winner of this encounter allows the giraffe to mate with the local female. Giraffes are polygamous which means that males mate with multiple females.
The gestation period of a giraffe lasts from 13 to 15 months. A single baby of a giraffe is born and rarely twins are born. A newborn baby of a giraffe is able to walk within an hour of birth and can run within 24 hours of birth.
A newborn baby of a giraffe is tall at birth and is about 6 feet in height. Female giraffes kick their babies as motivation to stand up. Predators are always after them so they have to be able to move quickly to keep up with their families.
How Long Do Giraffe Live
The life span of a giraffe in the wild is about 25 years.
How Fast Can Giraffe Run
Giraffes are fast runners due to their large size and can run at a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour in short distances which is faster than some horses and all humans. The walking speed of a giraffe is about 16 kilometers per hour.
The speed of a giraffe helps it to escape from predators even though giraffes are not the fastest but there are some animals like lions, hyenas and cheetahs from which it defends itself. Baby giraffes can walk within about 30 minutes and are 6 feet tall.
How Do Giraffe Communicate
Giraffes are mostly silent but when in distress, giraffes often make a 'moo' sound. Apart from this, when they are afraid or confront a lion, they make sniffing, roaring or grunting sounds.
Giraffes mostly drink water in pairs when bending over the water surface, one of them drinks while the other keeps an eye on predators. To drink water, the giraffe has to spread its front legs at an angle of about 45 degrees and bend its head to reach the ground level which is a challenging task for this animal. Read- Cassowary Dangerous Bird Top Information With Picture
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How Many Giraffe Are There In The World
Recently, the total number of giraffes has been estimated to be around 97,562 but currently this number is declining. This species has been placed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. Apart from this, hunting and poaching are among the major threats to the giraffe population.
When a giraffe reaches its adult size, it becomes difficult to attack it and it is very rare for it to be killed by lions or hyenas. It is easy for hunters to hunt mostly juvenile, sick or old giraffes.
A giraffe can be easily ambushed at the water as it has to adopt an awkward posture while drinking water. Nile crocodiles are known to bite the neck of full-grown giraffes, drag them into the water and feast on it comfortably.
Giraffe Facts For Kids
1. Why are giraffes special?
Giraffes live in the dry savannahs of Africa where they roam open fields and forests. Also known for their long necks, these giant animals are the tallest living land animals in the world. A male giraffe can grow up to about 5.5 meters which is taller than three adult humans.
2. Why do people love giraffes so much?
The long necks of giraffes make them completely unique and their magnificent size makes many people curious to see these animals in person. Until you see these animals in person, you will not understand how breathtaking these giraffes are.
3. Can you touch a giraffe?
Giraffes do not like to be touched and visitors to the zoo are strictly prohibited from touching this tall animal.
4. Are giraffes friendly towards humans?
Giraffes are not hostile animals but their size can put you in danger if they get scared. So, even though giraffes are friendly, it is advisable to watch them from a distance.
5. Are giraffes intelligent?
Giraffes are calm, tall, and have excellent eyesight and are considered to be very intelligent. The intelligence of this animal is evidenced by how quickly it makes behavioral adaptations in response to changing external stimuli.
6. How do giraffes attract females?
First, male giraffes provoke females to urinate by nudging them and sniffing their genitals. When a female giraffe is ready for a male giraffe's invitation, she widens her stance and urinates for up to 5 seconds while the male collects the urine in his mouth.
7. What are giraffes used for?
Giraffes are hunted in different regions of Africa for their meat and also for their skins, bones, hair and tails by hunters using traps, guns and other weapons. Let us also tell you that giraffe hair is used to make jewelry and apart from this, the tail of the giraffe is given a lot of importance in some cultures.
8. What do giraffes do every day?
This animal spends most of the day eating because it only gets a few leaves in each bite. Giraffes' favorite leaves are those of acacia trees, and these trees have long thorns that prevent most wildlife from eating them. But these thorns cannot stop giraffes.
9. Can a giraffe be a pet?
Giraffes are not ideal as pets. Apart from this, giraffes have to be fed a lot because when their carefully kept trees start disappearing from top to bottom, the neighbors get a little upset.
10. Are giraffes herbivores?
Giraffes are herbivorous animals and mostly eat leaves and buds, not only this, giraffes keep eating throughout the day. Giraffes in their native habitat must wander miles each day in search of food. Giraffes drink water only twice a week because they get plenty of hydration from their leafy diet.