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 Homeland: Eastern Africa, in savannas and lightly wooded areas. Other types of giraffes are also found in southern and western Africa. Eats: As I know you know, we LOVE leaves from trees and shrubs! (But not necessarily the kind you tried to feed me! Thanks anyway. You sure were sweet to try!) We have a great way of figuring out who gets to eat what part of the tree. Male giraffes are usually taller, so they forage from the higher branches. Females like me generally eat our meals a little lower. It's an excellent arrangement, as the boys and girls don't argue about who gets what food. As for drinking, we get most of the moisture we need from plants, and can go for up to a month without drinking water! Fun facts: • No two giraffes have the same markings. Our coat patterns are as individual as your fingerprints. (Just like a tiger's and a zebra's coats.) Our coats are a kind of camouflage designed to confuse predators. Reticulated giraffes like me (there are nine subspecies of giraffes!) have dark brown coats with a pattern of thin white lines that create a grid-like pattern. The difference between different types of giraffes is subtle, but if you observe closely, you can begin to tell them apart. I know you can, because I know you're very smart! • A giraffe's tongue can be up to 18 inches long! That's almost as long as five crayons laid end to end! I'm sure glad our tongues aren't made of crayons though. Yuk! Our long tongues helps us get to hard-to-reach food. Yum! • At up to 18 feet high (that's nearly as tall as a two-story house!), giraffes are the world's tallest land animal. Because our necks are so long, we have to spread our legs wide in order to drink from pools of water. • You may know what sounds many different animals make, but probably not the sounds of a giraffe. Most people think giraffes are silent, but we do occasionally grunt, snort, and bleat. Listen very carefully next time you see a giraffe, and you may hear us “chatting” with each other! |
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