One of the most recognisable animals on this planet is the giraffe. With its long legs and equally long necks, they are acknowledged as the tallest animal in the world. Males reach a height of 18 feet and a weight of 3,000 lbs whilst females come in at 14 feet and a weight of 1,500 lbs. Being so tall, giraffes need a fairly long tongue, which measures up to 21 inches in length. Their internal organs are also impressive. A giraffe’s heart is two feet long and weighs up to 25 lbs. Our lungs can hold about six litres of air. But a giraffe can hold 55 litres of air.
It used to be thought that they evolved their long necks to be able to reach leaves and plants higher up. This is now thought to be unlikely as most of the time a giraffe will eat from trees and bushes at a height where their neck is horizontal. Another reason is that it helps them to spot predators further away. This is possible as they only need about 20 minutes of sleep a day, meaning they are on guard most of the time. It has also been suggested that the long neck may be a sexual attraction for other giraffes. Many animals and birds have mating rituals which involve some physical attributes.
They inhabit the savannahs of several African countries. The distinctive colouring of giraffes is unique to them and so would be similar to human fingerprints. A group of giraffes is called a tower and they can be all male, all female or mixed. A tower will usually number about 20 individuals. In their natural environment, you will often see a species of bird hitching a ride on the back of giraffes. However, there is an advantage for the giraffe. The birds eat the bugs that inhabit a giraffe’s coat and they can give an early warning if they see a predator by chirping very loudly.
Have you ever heard the noise a giraffe makes? If you have, then you are rather strange as the sounds giraffes make are too low in frequency to be heard by humans. Having long legs they can run for short distances at up to 35 miles per hour. But for longer distances, they run at around 10 miles per hour.
Finally, there is one study that suggests that 94% of male giraffes have male-to-male sexual relations. The same study said that only 5% were male to female and just 1% for female to female. As I said, this is just one study made some years ago. Whether further research has taken place, I do not know. But, if there are any zoologists out there who wish to study this, then I think it is research which needs more investigation.
John Pullen 