Kenya Camping:Things about the Giraffes.

The giraffes are the tallest animals in the world. Males can grow up to 18 feet tall, female growing to reach 14 feet and their babies called calves. Calve are born around 6 feet tall. Calves can grow up to an inch a day. Some sub-species have patterns that look like oak leaves, while others have square patterns that make the giraffe look like its covered by a net. Their coat colors vary from white to light than to nearly black depending on that they eat and where they live. In the wild giraffe will sleep only about 20 minutes a day and usually not more than five minutes at a time as they need to stay alert to watch for predators. All giraffes have two hair covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use their horns to playfully fight with one another and twilling their necks which is called necking.

 

Like camels, giraffe can go for a long time without drinking water because their diet especially acacia leaves, their favorite food containing a lot of water. When they do get thirsty they have to bend down awkwardly top drink which makes them easy target for predator to help protect themselves. Giraffes usually go to watering holes together and take turns watching for predators.

Giraffes are herbivores, and they eat leaves buds and branches from acacia trees. Their height helps them reach food well above other animals can reach. A giraffe may eat more than 34 kilometers of food each day because they get just a few leaves in every bite, they spend most of their day eating.

Acacia tree have long thorns that defer most of animals but not giraffes. Their 18 inches tongues can reach around the thorn, and their thick , sticky saliva  coats any thorns they might swallow. The dark blue gray color of giraffes tongue helps protect it from sunburn while the giraffe is reaching for tree leaves.

Giraffes are ruminants, like cows, and their stomach have four compartment that digest the leaves the eat. After a giraffe swallows a mouthful of leaves once, a ball of already chewed leaves or cut will make its way back up the throat for more grinding.

Giraffe can breed anytime throughout the year. The male sort with a female in heat sometimes feeding beside her and tangling necks with her.female gives birth to a single calf about 14 months after they mate.When a giraffe calf is born it drop to the ground head first from about 6 feet high. The fall surprises the calf and make it take a big breath, but doesn’t really hurt it. The calf can walk after about an hour after its born. After they are a few weeks old calves join a group of young giraffes.

Giraffe can live up to 25 years in the wild longer in captivity. Giraffe used to live throughout arid and dry savanna wherever there were trees. Now their range has shrunk due to habitat loss. Most giraffe live in wooded savannas open woodlands and forests, where they are protected by national park.

Giraffe are widespread throughout and their population are shrinking due to habitat loss and poaching, so the species may soon be listening as threatened.

Peter K. Philip

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