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Giraffes are one of the most recognisable animals in the world. They are found in the dry savannahs of Africa, where they roam among the open plains and woodlands. Giraffes are the tallest land mammals with unique features, behaviours, and adaptations that make them truly fascinating creatures. Discover some fun facts about giraffes to boost your knowledge of the gentle giants.
Source: Getty Images
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Giraffes play a significant role in the stability of the environment and ecosystem. Their peculiar appearance has intrigued various ancient and modern cultures, and they have often been featured in paintings, books, and cartoons. Giraffes have unique characteristics that make them stand out from other species.
Fun facts about giraffes
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus Giraffa. They are known for their long necks, sloping backs, and short horns, but there are many more fascinating facts about giraffes worth knowing. Here are some fun facts about giraffes that you probably did not know.
1. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on earth
Giraffes are the tallest animals on the planet. The average adult male giraffe is between 4.6 and 5.5 meters tall. The tallest giraffe ever recorded was 5.8 meters tall. A giraffe's height gives it exclusive access to the topmost leaves and buds in treetops that other herbivores cannot reach. Being tall also helps them look out for predators such as lions and hyenas.
2. There are four types of giraffes
There are four distinct species of giraffe across Africa: the Masai giraffes, Southern giraffes, Northern giraffes, and Reticulated giraffes. Northern giraffes call North Africa home, Southern giraffes stroll around the continent's south, and the other two species are happiest in the east.
3. Giraffes sleep standing up
Source: Getty Images
Because giraffes are vulnerable when getting up from lying down, they are usually observed sleeping and standing up to detect and escape potential predators in the wild. They typically sleep for just a few minutes at a time, adding up to about 5 to 30 minutes in a 24-hour period, one of the shortest sleep requirements in the animal kingdom.
4. Their necks can't reach the ground
A giraffe's neck is too short to reach the ground. This is why giraffes stoop with their legs splayed or bend their knees when they need to drink.
5. Giraffes can go a couple of days without drinking water
Giraffes only drink water once every few days. Because of the challenges posed by bending over 10 feet or more to reach the water, adult giraffes may only drink once daily. Giraffes can go without drinking for weeks at a time. They get most of their water from the vegetation they eat.
6. Female giraffes give birth standing up
Due to the extreme size of their offspring, mother giraffes give birth standing up so as not to damage the long necks of their babies. Their young fall about 2 metres to the ground and can stand up within an hour of birth.
7. They have super long tongues
The Giraffe's tongue is as interesting as the height of the giraffe. A giraffe tongue is about 18–20 inches long. Their long, strong, and prehensile tongues allow them to selectively pluck leaves from in between thorns found on some of their preferred feeding trees.
Giraffe tongues are dark, bluish-purple, or black, which is thought to help protect them from sun exposure.
8. Their spots are like human fingerprints
Every giraffe has a unique pattern of spots, much like human fingerprints. Apart from giving them their distinctive look, these spots also act as “thermal windows that regulate giraffes' body temperatures.
9. Giraffes fight by “necking”
When males engage in a brawl, whether to solve mating or territory rights, they use the momentum of their long necks to thrust horns known as ossicones that cover their heads powerfully. The impact can be strong enough to knock an opponent off balance or even cause injury.
10. They are herbivores
Giraffes are herbivorous and reportedly feed on more than 100 species of plants, with a staple diet of acacia leaves. They also sometimes eat grass, fruits, and vegetables.
11. Move in groups
Source: Getty Images
According to the North Carolina Zoo, Giraffes are often found in groups, known as towers. They live in herds of about 10 to 20 individuals, and they can be up to 50 members. However, they do not have strong social ties like other animal species, except the mothers with their offspring.
12. There's a World Giraffe Day
Every year, on June 21, the world commemorates World Giraffe Day. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, This day was initiated by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in 2014 to celebrate the world's tallest animal.
13 They spend most of their time eating
Another interesting fact about giraffes is that they eat most of their time. They consume up to 75 pounds of leaves daily. Their diet mainly consists of acacia leaves rich in water and nutrients.
14. Giraffes grow fast
Giraffe calves grow quickly, doubling their height in their first year. At birth, they are already about 6 feet tall and can stand and walk within a few hours.
15. Giraffes have big eyes
Giraffes have the biggest eyeballs of all land mammals, which provide excellent vision. Their eyes are about the size of a golf ball, and humans ' eyes are about the size of a ping-pong ball. Giraffe's eyes are on either side of their heads and slightly bulging.
16. Giraffes communicate silently
Source: Getty Images
As the world's tallest animal, giraffes can communicate through infrasound, which is below the range of human hearing. This allows them to communicate over long distances. They relay messages ranging from affection to warnings using these non-verbal cues
17. They have huge hearts
Because of their unusual physique, giraffes have a complex cardiovascular system that starts with an enormous heart. A giraffe's heart weighs around 25 pounds and can pump 16-20 gallons of blood per minute. It has a thicker muscle on the heart's left ventricle that generates enough force to fight gravity.
18. Their horns are called ossicones
Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones. These little horns are made of cartilage, and male giraffes use them to sometimes fight with other males.
19. They walk by moving both legs on the same side of their body simultaneously
The giraffe walks by swinging its long legs forward, first both legs on one side of the body and then both legs on the opposite side. This type of walk is called an amble, and the giraffe shares it with okapis, camels, and llamas. This unique way of walking provides stability and balance, considering their long limbs and neck.
20. Giraffes have the same number of neck vertebrae as humans
Just like humans, giraffes have seven neck vertebrae. For giraffes, however, each one can be over 10 inches (25.4 centimetres) long. That is what gives them their elongated necks.
What is unusual about a giraffe?
One unusual thing about giraffes is that their long necks have the same number of neck vertebrae (seven) as most mammals, including humans. These vertebrae are much longer, allowing giraffes to reach high into trees when feeding.
What are some fun facts about giraffes facts for kids?
Some of the popular fun facts about giraffes for kids include:
- Their tongues are dark bluish-purple or black to protect them from the sun.
- They are the tallest mammals on earth
- Their spots are like human fingerprints
What is the colour of a giraffe's tongue?
A giraffe's tongue is typically dark, bluish-purple, or black. This unique colouration is thought to protect against sunburn, as giraffes often use their tongues to grasp and pull leaves from thorny trees.
The above fun facts about giraffes make them unique animals. For instance, they have long necks, sloping backs, and short horns. Giraffes are vital to maintaining ecosystems in balance. They are native to the African continent and live predominantly in savannahs.
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Source: Legit.ng
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