Giraffe

• Class: Mammals (Mammalia)
• Order: Even-toed ungulates
• Family: Giraffes & okapis (Giraffi)
• Genus: Giraffa
• Species: Giraffa camelopardalis

Size

The giraffe is the world’s tallest land mammal. Males grow to heights of up to 6 m, and weigh 1.5 tonnes.

Ecology

There are eight giraffe subspecies, and all these live on the African savanna. The closely related ‘okapi’ has a shorter neck and lives in the African rainforests.
Having a long neck enables the giraffe to exploit a food niche not utilised by other herbivores: it feeds on the leaves of the uppermost branches of acacia trees, whose thorny spines it skillfully avoids using its 40 cm-long tongue.
Giraffes have their specific home ranges but essentially are not territorial. The males are hierarchical and sometimes spar competitively by standing side by side, lowering and swinging their heads at one another. Giraffes defend themselves very effectively against lions and other predators by kicking forcefully with their front legs.

Food habits

The giraffe eats leaves, buds and bark of bushes and trees, especially those of the acacia.

Longevity

The giraffe lives 25 years in the wild, longer in zoos.

Reproduction

Reproduction occurs throughout the year, but reaches peak rates during the dry season. Gestation lasts 14 to 15 months, after which usually one calf is born. The calf is 2 m in height, and is able to stand up only 20 minutes after birth.

Conservation status

Like most other large animals in Africa today, giraffes are found mostly in reserves and other protected areas. Proximity to human settlements, and similar encroachments onto its habitat greatly threaten its existence.

IUCN Threat Category:

Near Threat