Males join other bachelors when one to two years old, whereas daughters are likely to stay near the mother. The gait of the giraffe is a pace (both legs on one side move together). A study published in Current Biology in 2016 suggests that the giraffe is not a single species, but a subfamily containing four distinct species – the northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata) and Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi). Male giraffes may exceed 5.5 metres (18 feet) in height and female giraffes may reach about 4.5 metres (about 14 feet). giraffe ages as of june 2020: april: 19 / johari: 16 / oliver: 9 / taj: 3. giraffe birthdays: april, johari, and oliver: june 21st / taj: april 15, 2017. oliver came to aap in may 2015. april came to aap in august 2015. johari came to aap in january 2019. Even the giraffe… Their legs alone can be taller than an average human being, that is, about 6 feet. Calves sample vegetation at three weeks but suckle for 18–22 months. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Giraffes live up to 26 years in the wild and slightly longer in captivity. The birth of a giraffe at the Greenville Zoo, South Carolina, 2012; the video also shows the calf's first steps. Its plumage is dark … Name: Giraffe (Giraffa) Known species and sub species Masai Giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi); Northern Giraffe (Giraffe Camelopardalis) - Kordofan giraffe (G. c. antiquorum), Nubian giraffe (G. c. Camelopardalis), West African giraffe (G. c. peralta); Reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulate); Southern Giraffe (Giraffa Giraffa) - Angolan giraffe (G. g. angolensis), South African giraffe (G. … In the past 15-30 years, this number has dropped to just 80,000. The animals are gregarious, a behaviour that apparently allows for increased vigilance against predators. Giraffe, (genus Giraffa), any of four species in the genus Giraffa of long-necked cud-chewing hoofed mammals of Africa, with long legs and a coat pattern of irregular brown patches on a light background. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They are prodigious eaters, and a large male consumes about 65 kg (145 pounds) of food per day. During the 19th and 20th centuries, overhunting, habitat destruction, and rinderpest epidemics introduced by European livestock reduced giraffes to less than half their former range. Females weigh between 1,600 and 2,600 pounds and stand about 16 feet tall. 4. Males weigh up to 1,930 kg (4,250 pounds), females up to 1,180 kg (2,600 pounds). The legs of a giraffe are also 6 feet long. The neck flexes so that balance is maintained. G. camelopardalis or something very similar lived in Tanzania two million years ago, but Giraffidae branched off from other members of the order Artiodactyla—cattle, antelope, and deer—about 34 million years ago. When fully grown, male giraffes can attain a height of almost 20 feet—most of that, of course, taken up by this mammal's elongated neck—and weigh between 2,400 and 3,000 pounds. deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle. And if the question is about length, the reticulated python is the biggest. Younger males spend years in bachelor groups, where they engage in “necking” bouts. Giraffe Population In Africa. But if it's about height, the giraffe is the biggest. Most giraffes live in grasslands and open woodlands in East Africa, especially in reserves such as the Serengeti National Park and the Amboseli National Park. Reticulated giraffe are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, a system that classifies species at high risk of global extinction. Height and Size Giraffes use their height to good advantage and browse on leaves and buds in treetops that few other animals can reach (acacias are a favorite). La jirafa (Giraffa camelopardalis) es una especie de mamífero artiodáctilo de la familia Giraffidae propio de África.Es la más alta de todas las especies de animales terrestres existentes. Originating from a peninsula called the Horn of Africa, the Reticulated giraffe is the most common giraffe seen in zoos. There are four species of giraffe. Giraffes grow to nearly their full height by age four. The Reticulated giraffe’s coat has large, polygonal, liver-colored spots outlined by a group of bright-white lines. Giraffe care specialists photograph unusual characteristics of each giraffe, and keep the photos in a book in their truck for easy reference. Thick-walled arteries in the neck have extra valves to counteract gravity when the head is up; when the giraffe lowers its head to the ground, special vessels at the base of the brain control blood pressure. The single offspring is about 2 metres (6 feet) tall and weighs 100 kg (220 pounds). These side-to-side clashes of heads cause mild damage, and bone deposits subsequently form around the horns, eyes, and back of the head; a single lump projects from between the eyes. Puede alcanzar una altura de 5,8 m y un peso que varía entre 750 y 1600 kg. There have been instances of bulls being knocked off their feet or even rendered unconscious. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/animal/giraffe, Defenders of Wildlife - Basic Facts About Giraffes, San Diego Zoo Animals and Plants - Giraffe, Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids - Fun Giraffe Facts for Kids, giraffe - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), giraffe - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Observe a tower of giraffes feeding on acacia leaves and oxpeckers combing giraffes' coats for parasites, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Witness the birth and first steps of a newborn giraffe at Greenville Zoo, South Carolina, Know about the efforts of the Ugandan wildlife authorities to protect Rothschild giraffe. Giraffes obtain most water from their food, though in the dry season they drink at least every three days. The giraffe has the longest tail of any land mammal. Birds called oxpeckers search the giraffe's skin, eating parasites such as ticks. Giraffes are not classified as an endangered species. Marked by their noteworthy long neck, the Reticulated Giraffe is another relatively common sighting in northern Kenya. Exceptionally large males may … Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is a large Antarctic bird featured the upcoming Planet Zoo Aquatic Pack. It is one of the larger mammal orders, containing about 200 species, a total that may be somewhat reduced with…, …side moving together, and the giraffe and the okapi always use this walking gait. Up until recently, it was thought that there was one extant species of giraffe, Giraffa Camelopardalis. The advantage of a heavy, knobbed skull is soon apparent. Giraffes eat new shoots and leaves, mainly from the thorny acacia tree. Gestation is 15 months, and, though most calves are born in dry months in some areas, births can take place in any month of the year. The zoo’s 26-year-old reticulated giraffe, Jenny, herself a mother, has stayed on the side of her stall nearest the new mother and calf, paying attention to their welfare, Binder said.