As well as being able to walk within an hour of birth, they are also likely to be around 6 feet in height – as tall as many grown men! Well, there you have it – 11 awesome facts about giraffes that you most likely did not know. Naturalists have recognized nine separate subspecies: the Nubian giraffe, the reticulated giraffe, the Angolan giraffe, the Kordofan giraffe, the Masai giraffe, the South African giraffe, the West African giraffe, the Rhodesian giraffe, and Rothschild's giraffe. The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page. Over short distances, giraffes can run at speeds up to 35 mph. The tall height is helpful for keeping a lookout for its enemies. Herds forage together. The male giraffe is generally heavier and taller than the female giraffe. Scientists believe the age of a giraffe can be estimated from the spots. However, giraffes have a rough tongue, lips, and palate that are adapted to the task. 1. This means that giraffes are technically listed as vulnerable, on the whole – it’s thought that we have lost around 40% of the world’s giraffe population in the past 35 years. The tall height is helpful for keeping a lookout for its enemies. 18. The Giraffes foot is about 11 inches or 30 cm. Spatial Ecology and Habitat Use of Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis) in South Africa. For a giraffe, its biggest predators are crocodile, lions and humans, of course. The Giraffe’s heart can weigh as much as 24 pounds or 11 kg. The giraffe's skull has an upper and lower jaw filled with teeth and molars that facilitate the grinding of food. Giraffe guide: species facts, lifespan and habitat. The Giraffe’s heart can weigh as much as 24 pounds or 11 kg. Giraffe can live to about 25 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. 16. Over short distances, giraffes can run at speeds up to 35 mph. 1) There Are Four Giraffe Species In 2016, scientists made a blockbuster discovery about the world’s tallest land mammals: giraffes actually come in four separate species. Use our interactive map to navigate our fascinating planet and discover many interesting and fun facts for every country…, © 2020 Planet Numbers Ltd. During copulation, male giraffes stand almost straight up on their hind legs, resting their front legs along the female's flanks, an awkward posture that would be unsustainable for more than a few minutes. The Giraffes foot is about 11 inches or 30 cm. The giraffe (Giraffa) is a genus of African even-toed ungulate mammals, the tallest living terrestrial animals, and the largest ruminants. (680 kg), while males grow up to 18 feet (5.5 m) tall and weigh up to 3,000 lbs. Many young giraffes, called calves, die from lion attacks during their first year of life. German ecologist Axel Janke has argued that multi-local DNA analysis of giraffe genetic structure shows that there are actually four separate giraffe species: These suggestions are not accepted by all scholars. Giraffes can live longer than many mammals in the wild. However, an insufficiently wary giraffe can easily be ambushed at a water hole, since it has to adopt an ungainly posture when taking a drink. That’s showing us! While their obvious most interesting fact is their height, that doesn’t mean these creatures can’t leave you even more surprised! Once a giraffe has reached its adult size, it's extremely unusual for it to be attacked, much less killed, by lions or hyenas; instead, these predators will target juvenile, sick, or aged individuals. An old giraffe will have darker spots than the younger one. Giraffes have unique markings – no – we really mean unique! Anton Petrus / Getty Images Species and Subspecies . Giraffes range in the wild throughout Africa, but are most often found are in combined savannas and woodlands. Giraffes are born standing up, and as a result, will spend most of their lives this way. For a long time, people called the giraffe a “camel-leopard” because they believed that it was a combination of the leopard. Male giraffes do a lot of weird stuff you know, well, to test if a female is fertile, they test her urine. The special adaptations of giraffes help us learn about evolutionary theory and the nature of life on Earth. Your email address will not be published. A giraffe is prone to attack by predators, such as lions and hyenas. Giraffes are incredibly unique in a number of different characteristics as well as their record-breaking stature. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on planet. 1) Giraffes are found in the dry savannahs of Africa, where they roam among the open plains and woodlands. The West African giraffe is a subspecies of giraffe, distinguished from other types by its light, tan-colored spots. Giraffes live primarily in savanna areas in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. ", ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. They’re too short to bend back down! The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world at an average height of around 5 m (16-18 ft.), with even new-born babies being taller than most humans. READ MORE: Animals in Kenya (A Guide to 40 Species) Other giraffes have darker markings. Their long necks, richly patterned coats, and stubby ossicones on their heads make them the most easily recognizable of all the animals on earth. Each subspecies of giraffe has a different coat pattern. New-born giraffes stand at around 6 feet tall, making them taller than most adult humans. They are social creatures who mostly live in one of two types of herds: adult females and their offspring, and bachelor herds. Traditionally, all giraffes belong to the same genus and species, Giraffa camelopardalis. One of the surprising giraffe facts is that giraffes can run over 30 miles (or 50 kilometers) per hour! Giraffes are ruminants, mammals equipped with specialized stomachs that "pre-digest" their food; they're constantly chewing their "cud," a mass of semi-digested food ejected from their stomach and in need of further breakdown. Sexual maturation occurs about 5 years of age, and females generally have their first calves at 5–6 years. in diameter. Giraffes live in Africa, mainly in open forests, savannas, and grasslands. Male giraffes do a lot of weird stuff you know, well, to test if a female is fertile, they test her urine. They might only need to take on. 3. Interesting facts about giraffe can help kids get excited about learning facts about nature. Giraffes are complex animals that possess many impressive features. Scientists believe the age of a giraffe can be estimated from the spots. Male giraffes are known to engage in a ritualized display of dominance called “necking” and this involves head-butting each other’s bodies. Looking at a giraffe, it doesn’t exactly look like a racehorse. Behind their beautiful appearance with a unique fur, long neck, and unparallel tallness, some peculiarities define them as unique animals in the world. This is – astonishingly the same number of vertebrae in a human neck! Giraffes consume over 35 kilos of food per day. Despite giraffes having amazingly long necks, they actually can’t use them to pick anything up off the ground with. A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet (1.9 meters) tall at birth and weighs about 150 pounds (68 kilograms). Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals; males (bulls) may exceed 5.5 metres (18 feet) in height, and the tallest females (cows) are about 4.5 metres. Giraffes seem like relatively clumsy creatures, thanks to their cumbersome-looking limbs and top-heaviness. Male giraffes use their necks for fighting, swinging them from side to side to headbutt their opponent. However, giraffes do not have front teeth. Young bachelor males who are old enough to fend for themselves form temporary herds of between 10 and 20, essentially training camps in which they play and challenge each other before leaving the group to become isolates. The giraffe is the tallest animal in … Female giraffes give birth when standing up. Studies show that giraffe cows stay with the same group at least as long as six years. They have a diverse diet which can include as much as 93 different species of plants; but typically, only about a half dozen of those plants make up 75 percent of their summer diets. Therefore, if a giraffe wants to drink from low down, for example, they will have to kneel or crouch. They are thought to make low pitched noises which we are simply unable to physically hear. Females weigh between 1,600 and 2,600 pounds and stand about 16 feet tall. 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