The giraffe’s long neck allows it to reach food other animals can’t reach.
What’s the tallest animal in the world? You’re right – the giraffe! A male giraffe is about 18 feet tall. How tall are you? How many kids your size would it take, standing on each others’ shoulders, to reach the height of a giraffe???
Giraffe eating leaves from tree.
The cool thing about this animal is not only its long neck, but also its four long legs. No wonder it can reach food the other animals can’t!
What’s simple for some animals, can be very difficult for a giraffe – taking a drink of water, for instance. Think about how you would do this if you were a giraffe. You’d have to put your front legs way out in front of you and slowly tip your head down, being careful not to do a forward somersault (and get the hippos laughing at you!).
Drinking from a stream.
When you pick up your head and extend your neck again after your refreshing drink, you’re lifting 550 pounds! What a workout! Not only that, but while bent forward like that you’re very vulnerable to predators. It would be impossible to run away quickly if a lion were to show up. Good thing you can store water like a camel and can go several days without drinking.
Thorny acacia tree
I was surprised to see the giraffes eating the thorny acacia trees. Just look at those long thorns! I learned that a giraffe has a very tough mouth and tongue to be able to deal with these. Plus they eat only the outer part of the branches where the thorns aren’t too big yet – very clever, eh?
A herd of giraffes
While driving through the countryside, we often saw just a few giraffes hanging out together. We were delighted by this site of a herd of giraffes one afternoon. How many giraffes can you see in this photograph? Look carefully. There are more than you see at first glance.
I was interested to see that giraffe mommies look after their babies, just as mommies in most other animal species do. They keep them close and protect them against predators.
Looking closely at these photos and videos, what do you notice about a giraffe that you never knew before? How would the Serengeti ecosystem change if there were no giraffes living there?
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Well I am 5 feet tall so that would mean we would need about 3 of me, and 1 3 foot person and that would equal up to 18 feet.
I like giraffes !It is so cool that they eat acadia trees.How many baby giraffes did you see?
We saw about a dozen baby giraffes. They were very cute, and much smaller than the parents, even though they were still very tall for an animal.
Do giraffes have good balance cause their legs are so thin?
Yes, they have excellent balance. Their bodies are just the right length and width to allow them to balance on those long spindly legs.
I wonder why giraffes have such long legs of course to get food but when they first got them how?
Every animal has body parts that help it to survive. The elephant has its trunk. The lion has its powerful legs. The giraffe has its long neck and legs. They have these because their species has evolved over time (and continues to evolve). Each generation that grows up and reproduces is able to pass its genes on to the next generation, that will have a similar (but perhaps slightly different) body. If this body allows it to survive to adulthood, it too will reproduce and pass its characteristics along.
Giraffes are one of my favorite animals but I have some questions on the topic
Why do they have spots?
How big are they when they are born?
Are there necks long when they are born?
What color are there tongs?
I hope you can answer these Questions
Giraffes have brown blotches on their skin for two reasons. First, it helps them camouflage themselves among the trees. The dark and light of their coat looks like sunlight and shade from a distance. Second, there are sweat glands in the darker areas, allowing them to sweat and cool themselves. Their tongues are black – quite unusual for an animal. Most, but not all, animals have pink tongues. For more information on the giraffe tongue, read the other replies.
A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet tall and weighs almost 150 pounds! Yes, they have a long neck when they’re born. They look like a miniature version of their parents.
Dear Ms. Chirstie-Blick,
If the giaffes has the biggest neck in the world. How does it bring it's head to the ground.
It lowers its head slowly to the ground. Watch the video on the giraffes page.
Giraffees are so interesting. Are leaves the only thing that giraffes eat?[=
They love leaves, but they will also eat branches and grass.
Did you know that when a baby giraffes are born they fall about 10 feet from the mother giraffe to the ground!
from Christian
Dear Ms.Christie Blick,
I just wanted to know what animals eat the giraffe,and I also want to know if it does get eatten how does the predator eat it of its so tall? ps have fun while your researching.bye
The big cats eat the giraffes: lion, chettah, leopard. They run very fast and then leap onto the giraffe, sinking their teeth into its neck. Gross to think about, but the good part is that the giraffe would die quickly and then be out of pain. Once the giraffe is killed it falls over, so it would be easy to eat.
once i whent on a safari and a giraffe came up to the car and licked my dad
how tall were the giraffes?
Some of the adults were 17 feet tall.
How much would an average girrafe eat/
Adult giraffes eat about 60 pounds of leaves and branches each day.
I want to know how big giraffes can grow up to ive always wondered what they look like but now i know
Many giraffes grow to be 17 feet tall. They are beautiful animals, aren’t they?
I studied giraffe's, one day I would love to go to Africa Ms.Christie-Blick
Brilliant Kate! People who study about the animals ahead of time get much more out of the experience. You will love it!
Giraffs are huge! I wonder how long its neck is?
A giraffe’s neck can be 6 or 7 feet long. That’s taller than most adults!
Giraffes are really interesting! Did you know that male giraffes are 18 feet tall? (i think you did!)
I know two interesting facts about giraffs one they have the longest toung and they clean there ears with there toungs yuck
that was really cute.
Cute.
It must of bin fun seeing the giraffes and the babys.
the giraffe is SO tall. 🙂
about 4 kids will make the height of a giraffe
that must have been awsome
they are cute
I think about 6 kids would make the height of a giraffe.
About 3 kids my age would take to meet the height of a giraffe