Giraffes - The World's Tallest Animals!

Giraffes have got to be some of the most interesting animals in the world. They hold the record for the world’s tallest animal, measuring an amazing 16 to 18 feet tall, and they can weigh as much as 3,000 pounds. Interestingly, the female giraffe which is called a cow is usually shorter and weighs less then the bulls otherwise known as male giraffes.

There are several misconceptions about giraffes. One misconception is that they are mute. This is not entirely true, although giraffes are normally quiet animals, they do indeed make sounds. For instance, courting males will emit a loud coughing sound and females call their young by whistling or bellowing. Also, the calves will moo. They also have been heard making grunts, snorts, hissing and strange flute like sounds.

Another misconception about giraffes is that they do not sleep. This is not true at all. However, they only require 10 minutes to two hours of sleep a day. On average a giraffe only sleeps 1.9 hours a day. This misconception has also lead to the myth that giraffes cannot lay down. That too is not true.

Another fascinating fact about giraffes is that they only eat leaves and, since they are such big creatures, they require a minimum of 140 pounds of leaves a day. WOW! Right! They are ruminants, which means they first chew their food, swallow it then regurgitate the semi-digested cud up their necks and back into their mouths, so they can chew again. They usually repeat this process several times per mouthful of leaves.

One thing that I'm certain about is that, being a female, I’m glad that I’m not a giraffe. They carry their young for 14 to 15 months. When it comes time to give birth they do it standing up and the calf usually falls six feet to the ground. Talk about a rude awakening. Remarkably, however, only an hour after a calf is born they are up running around. Although, for the first two weeks of their life they usually spend it lying down by their mother for protection. Sadly, only 25 to 50% of baby giraffes make it to adulthood. If they do survive, they only live for 20 to 25 years in wild and up to 28 in captivity.

I leave you with some interesting facts about giraffes that you may or may not know. Giraffe have black tongues. Giraffes have excellent eyesight being able to see up to ½ a mile away. Each giraffes coat is unique. A giraffes neck weighs 550 pounds. Finally, giraffes can run up to 35 mph.

Hope you enjoyed this article on Giraffes. I enjoyed researching and writing it.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe

Giraffe Facts