Giraffe

Well known for their long necks, these gentle giants are the world’s tallest living land animals. An adult male can grow to around 5.5m – that’s taller than three adult humans!

Giraffes have hearts that are 2 feet long. They sleep only five to 30 minutes every day. Usually they stand up to sleep. They only lie down if another giraffe can stand watch. The spots on giraffes are unique, no two giraffes spots are the same, just like humans – no two fingerprints are the same.

Giraffes have sticky tongues that can be 21 inches long! These tall animals need a lot of food to keep them going. They eat up to 75 pounds of leaves every day. They love the leaves from acacia trees. These trees have long thorns but giraffes can eat around the thorns.  A Giraffe gets most of the water they need from the leaves and plants they consume. They only need to drink direct water every few days.

Giraffes are very social animals and roam around in groups. These groups, called towers, typically have around 15 members led by an adult male. The other members are females and young males.

Female giraffes give birth standing up. The result? Newborns are welcomed to the world with a 1.5m drop to the ground! Ouch! But these infants are quick to get on their feet – within 30 minutes they are standing, and only hours later they are able to run with their mothers.