The Elegant Giraffe: 10 Fascinating Facts
Giraffes--the long-legged, purple-tongued herbivores with enviable eyelashes--are startlingly large when you’re up close! As the world’s tallest mammal, they can easily spot predators and are able to reach leaves and buds on the tips of trees that most animals just can’t access.
Here are 10 interesting facts about giraffes!
Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth. Their legs are about 6 feet long, which is taller than most humans.
They can run at 35 miles an hour over short distances. Impressive!
Giraffes’ necks are too short to reach groundwater, so they have to spread their front legs to reach the water.
Giraffes can go for several days without water since most of the water that sustains them comes from the plants they eat.
Giraffes spend most of their time on their feet; they sleep and even give birth standing up.
Those crazy patterns on their bodies? No two individual giraffes have exactly the same. Like fingerprints!
Giraffes only need 5-30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period. A Giraffe nap lasts only 1-2 minutes two at a time.
Male giraffes use their necks for fighting as they swing wildly, side to side, to headbutt their opponent.
There are four species of giraffes: Northern, Southern, Masai, and Reticulated.
A giraffe’s tongue reaches 21 inches in length! This helps them to work around thorns and allows them to easily pluck vegetation from the trees.
Would you love to see these graceful, royal animals running across the plains or foraging for food in the treetops in their natural habitat? We recommend our Kenya’s Private Reserves.
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