The tallest of all living animals is the
Giraffe. Even more peculiar
than its size is the shape of this African animal, which has inspired amazement
since ancient times. The male Giraffe may grow to be from 16 to 20 feet
tall. The female is somewhat shorter. This height comes mostly from its
legs and neck, for its body is smaller than that of the average horse.
The front legs may be 8 to 10 feet long, and the neck as long as 6 feet.
In the neck, however, are only seven vertebrae--the
same as in man--but each vertebra is very long. This makes the neck so
stiff that the Giraffe must spread its legs far apart in order to reach
down to drink. When you watch a Giraffe feed, you see at once how this peculiar
build enables it to get food. The Giraffe is a plant eater, and with its
great height it can reach up to the leaves of very tall trees.
The Giraffe can thrive in semi-arid tropical lands, which have trees
like the mimosa but little or no grass.
In every detail the Giraffe is splendidly adapted to the tree-browsing
habit. The tongue may be two feet in length.
The Giraffe also has a long upper lip. With the two, it can easily wrench
loose mouthfuls of leaves. The knees and hock joints are padded with
calluses, like those of the camel for resting on stony or sandy ground.
Finally, the thick hide is covered withshort
hair, mottled brown and yellow. This
coloring blends beautifully with the play of light and shadow when the
Giraffe is browsing among mimosa trees, and the animal becomes almost invisible.
The eyes of the Giraffe are described as
wonderful in beauty of coloring and in expression. The hoofs are cleft
and dainty in shape. The nostrils are
prominent and can be closed at will, like those of the camel. The neck
has a short soft mane, and the tail is tufted. Between the ears are two
bony hornlike projections that are covered with skin and surmounted with
bristles. In front of and between these projections is a rounded
bony elevation,that appears like an undeveloped
third horn. Both male and female giraffes have this bony elevation.
The Giraffecannot trot, but it can gallop.
People riding fast horses can scarcely overtake it. The flesh is
in demand for food, the skin is used for leather, and the tail tuft is
used for fly brushes and jewelry.
The Giraffe has a reputation for being voiceless because the low,
throaty sound it makes is hardly noticed. The fawns bleat like lambs.
Both sight and hearing of the animal are keen, and it is very intelligent.
Although it is good-natured and gentle, it will fight in self-defense.
It can use the head on its long neck like a sledgehammer to deal heavy
blows. In defense of her young, a female Giraffe
has reportedly been able to kill a lion.
Giraffes usually live in small herds. They chew their cud while standing
erect. Wary hunters have sometimes reported coming upon Giraffes leaning
against trees, fast asleep. GIRAFFES SLEEP ONLY 10-20 MINUTES A DAY.
Giraffes were known to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Giraffes were
exhibited in the old Roman games. They were thought to be a mixture
of camel and leopard and were called Camelopards.
These animals formerly ranged across the African continent from the
Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Now they
are confined to the plains of Eastern Africa between the Sahara and the
Zambezi River.
In Zaire live the elusive Okapi, the only living relative of the Giraffe.
The purplish-red color of the Okapi's body, with Its striped black and white forelimbs
and hindquarters, blends with the vegetation. It is so perfectly camouflaged that
sightings of it are rare. The full-grown Okapi
is much shorter than the Giraffe, measuring less that 5 feet (1.5 meters)
from the shoulders to the ground. It has s short, stout neck and
a deerlike head. The male has horns shaped like those of the giraffe. Okapis
eat roots, stems, and leaves, pulling in the food with their long tongues.
The Okapi and the Giraffe, the only members
of the family Giraffidae, are ruminant (cud-chewing) animals. They
belong to the even-toed ungulates (order Artiodactyla).
The scientific name of the Giraffe is Giraffa
camelopardalis. The scientific name of the Okapi is
Okapia johnstoni.
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Additional Giraffe Facts
***Title Page
Meet the Homogiraffens