GIRAFFE
NAME AND PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, family
Giraffidae, order Artiodactyla, is the tallest of all animals, as much as 5.5
meters (18 feet) high. A series of valves in the vessels of the vascular system ensures a blood
supply to the head. The shoulder height may be up to 3.7 meters (12 feet), and the weight 1,400
kilograms (3,000 pounds). There are usually three skin-covered horns, two on top of the head, and
one between the eyes. Sometimes an additional pair of hornlike knobs is also present on the back
of the head. Patterns and shades of dark patches on the
tawny coat, which help conceal the animals when they stand in
the shade of trees, vary among the subspecies.
HABITAT: Giraffes live on tree-dotted grasslands south of the Sahara in Africa.
INTERESTING FACTS: The long tongue is used for plucking
green leaves from trees. When startled, a giraffe can gallop up
to 48 kilometers/hour (30 mph) for a moderate distance. The female gives birth to a single young,
rarely twins. The lifespan is from 15 to 20 years.
HUNTING CHARACTERISTICS: Their chief foods are acacia and mimosa leaves.
