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Interesting Giraffe Facts:
The species name "camelopardalis" (cameleopard) originated
from its early Roman name, where it is described as having characteristics of both the camel and the leopard.
Male
giraffes stand around 16-19 feet tall and females are about 1-2 feet shorter.
Giraffes have spots covering their
entire bodies, except their underbellies.
Both sexes have horns, with the females displaying tufts of hair on the
top of the horns, where the males tend to be bald on top. Males sometimes develop calcium deposits which form
bumps on their skull as they age, which can make them look like they have multiple horns.
For every foot a giraffe
is tall, their tongue is an inch long. So, if the giraffe stands 17 feet tall it's tongue will average around 17
inches in length.
Female giraffes associate in groups of a dozen or so members. Males tend to live in "bachelor"
herds with older males many times leading solitary lives.
Gestation last for 14-15 months, after which a single
calf is born. Newborn giraffes are about 6 feet tall and start running around within just a few hours of being born.
The giraffe's life expectancy is between 20-25 years in the wild and 28 years in captivity.
Giraffes
have an increased risk of being struck by lightening because they are typically the tallest objects in the area.
There are
9 subspecies of Giraffes:
Reticulated or Somali Giraffe
Angolan or Smoky Giraffe
Kordofan Giraffe
Masai or Kilimanjaro Giraffe
Nubian Giraffe
Rothschild or Ungandan
Giraffe
South African Giraffe
Thornicroft or Rhodesian Giraffe
West African or Nigerian Giraffe
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