Amazing Facts About Giraffes, Their Habitats, Food and More
Giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animal in the world. They are the ones with long legs and a pattern of irregular brown patches on a light background. Giraffes are very friendly animals. They are herbivores. They don’t harm anyone. They spend most of the time eating, travelling and resting together. Giraffes’ height helps them to protect themselves from predators. They may eat a lot but not drink much water. These species are mostly found in groups. Their lifespan is around 20-25 years.
Giraffe
Habitat of Giraffes
Giraffes are mostly found in the dry savannahs of Africa where they roam among the open plains and woodlands. They eat leaves from long trees. They love to eat leaves from acacia trees.
Roughly 70% of giraffes occur outside government-protected areas.
They are found in scrubland and dense, thickened areas, woodlands and open grassland.
Some species of giraffes are found in semi-desert and deserts.
They are not found in tropical rainforests and on mountains.
Mother and Baby Giraffe
Few Interesting Facts About Giraffes
Giraffes are well known for their long necks; they are the world’s tallest living land animals. An adult male of giraffes can grow to around 5.5m, which is taller than adult humans.
They have a great appetite. They spend most of their time eating and can consume 45 kgs of leaves and twigs in a day.
Giraffes are herbivores. They only eat plants. They use their long necks to reach the leaves to consume them. Their long tongue (around 53 cm long) also helps them to pull down the leaves.
Giraffe Eating Leaves
A group of giraffes is also known as a “tower” of giraffes.
It is very interesting that giraffes are very social animals. They live in groups. These groups are called towers, which have around 15 members led by an adult male. The other members are mostly females and other young males.
It is quite interesting that when a female giraffe gives birth to a newborn, these newborns are quick to get on their feet within 30 minutes and after some hours they are able to run with their mothers.
Giraffes sleep less than two hours a day, they can sleep standing up for a short period of time.
How Do Giraffes Sleep ?
They can consume a large amount of water at a time, after which they can go for a long time without water. They drink water after a few days.
A Giraffe Drinking Water
Fun Facts About Giraffes for Kids
They are quite intelligent, group-living animals.
They are ruminants and they have a stomach which has four compartments.
They can sleep standing up as well as lying down both.
They have short skin-covered horns.
The colour of tongue of a giraffe is black, blue or purple with a pink base. The dark colour of the front part of the tongue is to protect it from sun exposure while eating.
Their weight at the time of birth is 50-60 kgs.
Both male and female giraffes have two hair-covered horns called ossicones.
A giraffe’s kick is quite strong. It can generate an impact of 2000 pounds of force per square inch. This is almost the same as the strongest kick ever recorded from a horse.
Giraffe Fighting with Predators
Some More Amazing Facts About Giraffes
Giraffes have a skeleton which consists of 170 bones.
The front legs of giraffes are slightly longer than the rear legs.
They are mostly found near water during the dry season.
Male giraffes use their big horns to fight with other males and with predators.
Giraffe Horns
Solved Questions
1. What is the colour of the tongue of a giraffe?
Answer: The colour of the tongue of a giraffe is black, blue or purple with a pink base.
2. How long does a giraffe live?
Answer: A giraffe can live for 20-25 years in the wild and in captivity, it can live for around 40 years.
3. How tall is a newborn giraffe at the time of birth?
Answer: A giraffe is around six feet tall at the time of birth.
Summary
Giraffes are very peaceful animals. They are gentle and kind animals. They are quiet, calm, and shy and also try not to harm others. Giraffes can communicate many different emotions with their brown eyes. Giraffes are found in groups. They spend most of their time eating and taking resting.
FAQs on Facts About Giraffes for Kids
1. Do giraffes make noise?
Giraffes do have a distinct sound. They hum but only during the nighttime.
2. What are giraffes afraid of?
Giraffes are afraid of leopards, hyenas and wild dogs as they are predatory carnivores that are a threat to giraffes, especially young ones.
3. What is a group of giraffes called?
A group of giraffes is known as a tower. A tower has 10-15 members out of which one male giraffe is the leader and others are young males and females.
4. What do giraffes eat?
Giraffes are herbivorous animals, so they eat leaves, buds, flowers and fruits from trees, shrubs, bushes and grass.
5. How long is a giraffe's tongue?
A giraffe’s tongue is typically 18-20 inches long. The colour of the tongue is usually black, blue or purple with a pink base.
