Okay, the head.

Those things on the top of the giraffe's head are not horns. Actually, they are skin covered bumps. They have eyes lashes that are very long. They also have teeth, and with the teeth, an 18-inch long tongue. That's right. And it's gray. They use it because it is sticky. It sticks to leaves. Then they pull it in their mouths. They chew their food, swallow, cough it back up again, chew it, and swallow. They are called ruminants. Cows do the same thing. They do this so they can fully digest their food.

The neck:

People would think the neck has many bones, but just like ours, it only has seven. The bones are long, big, and help study the head. In fact, the head and neck take up a lot of weight of the giraffe. Scientists think the giraffe used to have long legs, and over time, its legs got shorter and its neck got longer.

The Body:

The whole body weighs 1 to 2 tons. Wow! Giraffe’s height rage from females 14-16 feet, and males 16-20 feet. Giraffe's circulatory system is related to the neck. Since the neck is so long, the heart must be working extra hard so blood can get to the brain. This is also handy when giraffes neck, or swing the heads in a battle against each other.

The Legs:

Giraffe’s legs are swift making it easy to run over the savanna in East Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia where giraffes live.

Habitat:

Giraffes live in savanna and open woodland in Africa (above). They live in groups of 2 to 6. The males are called Bulls, the females are called Cows, and the babies, are called calves.

Behavior:

Females breed when they are 4 to 5 years old, but males only breed at the age of 8 or after 8. A female is pregnant for 15 months. When the calf is born, it is already 200 pounds and six feet tall, and drops out of the mother. The male leaves the female. Males travel with groups of females, breed, and leave. So, because of no help from the males, the female giraffes make their own baby-sitting business. Some days one female will baby-sit (or calf-sit) all the baby giraffes, while the other mothers go and search for food for the whole group. The calf-sitting job rotates to each mother every now and then.

Giraffes live up to 25-30 years in the wild.

Giraffes eat leaves from acacia trees, and from mimosa bushes. They rarely eat from the ground because they are so tall. When they do, they sped their (front) legs out to the side and bend down. They do the same when drinking, and because of so much difficulty, they can go a while without water.

Giraffes are swift, gentle runners and can reach 35 miles per hour. They run so gentle it is said that they look like they're running in slow motion.

Giraffes are gentle, except when taunted by humans or lions. If a lion tries to kill a calf, the mother will use her back legs to kick the lion, which is one of the most power and deadly kick of all animals. Giraffes are afraid of humans because humans hunt them for their coats.

History:

Ancient peoples thought the giraffe was a strange animal. That's how it got its scientific name: camelepardalis. These people thought that the giraffe was big like a camel, but spotted like a leopard. The name Giraffe comes from the Arabic word Zirafah which means the tallest of all mammals. 

Relatives:

Yes, it is hard to believe, but this strange looking animal does have a relative: the Okapi. The Okapi is like a horse, having a long neck, and hair, but it is striped like a zebra. It is the only relative of the giraffe. (See a picture of the Okapi on the giraffe photo page.)