Giraffe Explanation
By: Ashley
The giraffe is a long-necked, cud-chewing hoofed mammal of Africa, with extended legs and a fur pattern of brown spots they are truly a very unique animal. Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals. The Average male Giraffe can reach a height of 6m and the average female can reach the height of 5m tall.
Giraffes get most of their height from their long necks. There are seven vertebrates in a giraffe’s neck which is the same amount that are in a human’s neck as well. The vertebrates in human’s necks just do not extend as much as they do in a giraffe.
The reason that giraffes have such long necks is because of their way of life. Giraffes have very long necks so that they can reach leaves high in the trees. But scientist have recently discovered that during the mating season male giraffes fight with their necks to determine who gets to mate with the female giraffe.
The average giraffe lives for up to 20 to 25 year. In these years most female giraffes have 1 calf. The calf will depend on its mother for the first year of its life, and then it will grow independent.
As many other young animals are called different names, a baby giraffe is called a calf.
When a new giraffe is born it weighs around 45.359 to 68.039 kg. But as they get older they can reach the weight of 1,100 to 1,915 kg.
It`s amazing that an animal that only eats plants can be so large. Giraffes are herbivores which mean they are plant eaters. They mainly like to eat Acacia leaves that are high in trees. The tree branches have thorns which makes it hard for the giraffes to get to the leaves. Luckily the giraffes have long tongues that can reach through and grab them.
The giraffe is beyond doubt a very interesting animal. One of their key features is their spots. Giraffes have spots to camouflage themselves in with the trees. This makes it hard for their predators to find them. Not that they have many.
Another one of their unique features is their blue tongues. The giraffes tongue is blue because it has very few blood vessels. Because of this the tongue appears to be black. The animal eats a lot of thorny and prickly plants.
Since the giraffe is such a tall animal it has very few predators. Its main predator would be the lion. The lion tends to take out the baby giraffes and the weaker adults. Some of their other predators are hyenas and leopards. Giraffes also only rest periodically throughout the day so it is hard for their predators to get them in their sleep.
Giraffes can communicate with each other either through low pitch sounds or through touch. As giraffes intertwine their necks together is a show of affection toward each other.
Even though the numbers of giraffes have decreased in the past century, giraffes are not currently endangered, but listed as “lower risk” with rather steady populations. To keep giraffes at low risk of danger we have to continue to help them in any way possible. I would be ashamed for anything to happen to this amazing animal.
By: Ashley
The giraffe is a long-necked, cud-chewing hoofed mammal of Africa, with extended legs and a fur pattern of brown spots they are truly a very unique animal. Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals. The Average male Giraffe can reach a height of 6m and the average female can reach the height of 5m tall.
Giraffes get most of their height from their long necks. There are seven vertebrates in a giraffe’s neck which is the same amount that are in a human’s neck as well. The vertebrates in human’s necks just do not extend as much as they do in a giraffe.
The reason that giraffes have such long necks is because of their way of life. Giraffes have very long necks so that they can reach leaves high in the trees. But scientist have recently discovered that during the mating season male giraffes fight with their necks to determine who gets to mate with the female giraffe.
The average giraffe lives for up to 20 to 25 year. In these years most female giraffes have 1 calf. The calf will depend on its mother for the first year of its life, and then it will grow independent.
As many other young animals are called different names, a baby giraffe is called a calf.
When a new giraffe is born it weighs around 45.359 to 68.039 kg. But as they get older they can reach the weight of 1,100 to 1,915 kg.
It`s amazing that an animal that only eats plants can be so large. Giraffes are herbivores which mean they are plant eaters. They mainly like to eat Acacia leaves that are high in trees. The tree branches have thorns which makes it hard for the giraffes to get to the leaves. Luckily the giraffes have long tongues that can reach through and grab them.
The giraffe is beyond doubt a very interesting animal. One of their key features is their spots. Giraffes have spots to camouflage themselves in with the trees. This makes it hard for their predators to find them. Not that they have many.
Another one of their unique features is their blue tongues. The giraffes tongue is blue because it has very few blood vessels. Because of this the tongue appears to be black. The animal eats a lot of thorny and prickly plants.
Since the giraffe is such a tall animal it has very few predators. Its main predator would be the lion. The lion tends to take out the baby giraffes and the weaker adults. Some of their other predators are hyenas and leopards. Giraffes also only rest periodically throughout the day so it is hard for their predators to get them in their sleep.
Giraffes can communicate with each other either through low pitch sounds or through touch. As giraffes intertwine their necks together is a show of affection toward each other.
Even though the numbers of giraffes have decreased in the past century, giraffes are not currently endangered, but listed as “lower risk” with rather steady populations. To keep giraffes at low risk of danger we have to continue to help them in any way possible. I would be ashamed for anything to happen to this amazing animal.
