The Giraffe

in Wildlife 101 by Araneta&Tan — September 3, 2009 at 5:04 am | 0 comments

Giraffes at the Serengeti National Park

When you go on a photo safari, you are sure to have a list of animals in your mind that you are desperate to see. These could include lions, leopards, elephants, crocodiles, hippos and many others. But it is unlikely that you will be quite as excited about seeing a giraffe. But without the giraffe the African plains just wouldn’t be the same, and these picture-perfect mammals are simply wonderful to photograph.

The giraffe is an ungulate, like the zebra or wildebeest, and it is also related to deer. It bears the distinction of being the tallest animal to live on land, with fully grown giraffes reaching heights of up to 5.2 metres – the tallest giraffe ever recorded was a massive 6 metres.

Its long neck is the defining characteristic of the giraffe. Despite its length, it only has seven vertebrae, the same number as humans and most mammals. This is especially useful for reaching to the tops of trees to get to the succulent leaves, and their reaching ability is increased even further by their long tongues, which can stretch to 46 centimetres in length. Their favourite food acacia-tree leaves, but they don’t just go for food that is out of reach of most animals – they also eat grass, which means they have to spread their legs out to reach right down to the ground.

Giraffes have a strange way of running, and if you see them doing so on your photo safari you will see that they look almost like they are moving in slow motion. But they can reach impressive speeds of up to 55 km/hour if they need to. Their long legs also provide them with a formidable weapon – a giraffe’s kick can kill a lion.

Giraffes are found all over Sub-Saharan Africa, right from Central Africa to South Africa, so you’re sure to see one no matter where you go on your photo safari. They are generally found in open savannah and grasslands, and they generally tend not to venture into dense vegetation, sticking instead to areas where there are numerous acacia trees. They drink large quantities of water when they can and this allows them to live out in arid areas for longer. They also don’t require much sleep, only needing up to two hours a day.

Although giraffes in general are not under threat like many other animals in Africa, the West African Giraffe is classified as endangered. However, giraffes are still hunted across Africa for their meat and their tails, which are sometimes used as good-luck charms. They are also threatened by the destruction of their habitat as trees are cut down for farming and firewood. They are a protected species in most areas, and their population numbers anything up to 150,000.