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Giraffe Description
Mammals > Giraffe > Description
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Fun Facts & Brain Squeezers are hidden throughout the site.
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Size:
    As the tallest living animal on Earth, the giraffe is literally head-and-shoulders above other browsers. 

      BRAIN SQUEEZER:  Can you guess which animal is the second tallest?    Answer

    Every part of the giraffe is long, even its tongue.

      Click here  for a closeup view of a giraffe's tongue.  (He seems to be trying to nibble a leaf off the cameraman's ear!)

    The shoulders are about 12 feet above ground, and a male giraffe can stand up to 18 feet tall and weigh as much as 4,200 pounds.  The female is small(!) by comparison, reaching only about 16  feet in height and 2,500 pounds.  A giraffe's neck is about 6 feet long. 

      BRAIN SQUEEZER:  How many bones in a giraffe's neck?  (Hint... there are 7 bones, called vertebrae, in your stumpy little neck.)    Answer

    And let's not forget the tail, which is the longest of any land mammal.

Physical Description:
    The coat is made up of brownish, blackish, orangish, or rusty "spots" -- more like a patchwork -- separated by light-colored or whitish lines.  This varies greatly by subspecies (there are nine giraffe subspecies in Africa).   

    Giraffes have two definite horns plus a bulge on the forehead.  This bulge is a calcium deposit, and up to two more of these can grow farther back on the head as the giraffe ages.  If they get big enough, it can look like the giraffe has five horns. 

      BRAIN SQUEEZER:  What makes a giraffe's horns different from the horns you see on cows and other farm critters?  Answer

      Click here  to go nose to nose with a giraffe and see his horns up close.  (It's a really big picture; please be patient while it loads in a new window.)


    The giraffe ambles along when it walks, but when it runs, both right legs move together and both left legs move together.  This is called pacing, and it keeps the giraffe from tripping over his own feet and allows him reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour for short distances.

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GIRAFFE EXHIBIT

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