Chester Zoo 

Giraffe

Giraffes are one of the world’s most easily recognised animals with their long necks and long legs, but the markings on the coats of each sub-species vary, helping to differentiate one type of giraffe from another. The Masai Giraffe, found in south Kenya and Tanzania, for instance, has star-shaped brown spots in an irregular formation on a light buff background, while the Reticulated Giraffe which inhabits north Kenya, has larger chestnut patches outlined in white. Another sub-species, the Rothschild’s Giraffe lives in west Kenya and parts of Uganda, and can be distinguished from the Reticulated Giraffe by the expanse of the white dividing lines between its patches. Those of the Rothschild’s Giraffe are much wider.

All giraffes have high shoulders and sloping backs. They have upright manes and two growths of skin covered bone which appear like horns on the top of their heads. These are more prominent in males, while the females’ ‘horns’ bear thin tufts of fur.
Males will stretch their necks to reach the tallest trees for food, while females often bend to feed off lower branches.
Giraffes have strong eyesight and a keen sense of smell.

What they eat

Giraffes eat an extremely wide variety of plants and leaves. They have a particular liking for Acacia and Combretum leaves, which they pull from trees with their long tongue – often about 45cm in length and very strong. Their tongues are prehensile, meaning they are easily able to grasp vegetation.

How long they live

About 20 years.

Biology

These are social mammals which gather in generally non-territorial groups. Sometimes groups of males can be found roaming together. They frequently spar with one another but real conflict only usually occurs when males are vying for the attention of a female with which to mate. They swing their necks and thump into one another, which can result in one of them collapsing unconscious. Females are sexually mature at about four years old and the gestation period after mating is 15 months. They give birth standing up, with the calf literally ‘dropping’ down to earth with a bump. Healthy new-borns can stand independently after 20 minutes. They are weaned at about a year old but remain close to their mothers for nearly two years. Calves are particularly vulnerable to predatory big cats and wild dogs and a high proportion are killed within a few months of being born.

Did you know?

A giraffe’s neck has only the same number of individual bones as a human’s neck but their bones are larger and their necks are more flexible because of an intricate ball and socket joint mechanism which links the vertebrae.