Giraffes are the tallest land animals. Interesting giraffe facts: they make sounds; run 35 mph; eat leaves, fruits, flowers. Giraffes have four species. The tallest is 20 feet tall. Giraffes sleep 30 minutes a day. They live 50-100 sq km while eating acacia leaves. Giraffes can jump 1.85 meters high. Newborn giraffes fall 5 feet to ground. Males fight by pressing necks together.
How tall do giraffes get?
Usually the average height of a male giraffe is 5 to 6 meters (16.4 to 19.7 feet). How Tall is a Giraffe in Meters. The average height of a Giraffe is 5 to 6 meters. The male Giraffe is taller than the female Giraffe. The average height of a female Giraffe is 4.6 meters i.e. 15.1 feet. The average height of a Baby Giraffe is 1.5 meters when born. Giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animals. Traditionally, giraffes were one species, with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into up to eight species due to research into their DNA. The giraffe’s neck can reach almost 3 meters in length. Adult males weigh up to 4,255 pounds, while females weigh up to 2,601 pounds. Female giraffes reach up to 14 feet tall. Meanwhile, males reach up to 18 feet tall and can look into a second-story window. They gain most of the height in the first three years. At four years old they are adults. The one year old giraffe is around 12 feet tall. Giraffes use long tongues to browse foliage almost six meters from the ground.
Why do giraffes have manes?
Giraffes have a mane that runs the length of its neck. Male giraffes are 18ft (5.5m) in height. This height means that male and female giraffes do not have to fight for food. Giraffes sleep standing up. But almost everything about a giraffe’s life is determined by its height. The nuchal mane is largest at birth, smaller in adult females, and smallest in mature males. Adult male giraffes can weigh 350–600 pounds. They have thick springy hair covering most of their bodies. The mane signals information about a lion’s fighting ability.
Depending on the location, guests help sustain giraffes by purchasing a snack for these beautiful creatures. They need around 75 pounds of food daily to maintain their bodies! They only need to drink water once every handful of days, limiting their potential exposure. Their bodies have advanced circulatory systems that keep blood from pumping into their heads too fast. When competing over a female what starts as a close game only has one winner. Giraffe males joust each other with their long necks.
The giraffe has intrigued various cultures for its appearance. It is classified as vulnerable to extinction and has been extirpated from many parts of its former range. This advantage is real, as giraffes feed up to 4.5 m (15 ft) high, while even quite large competitors feed up to only about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high. Leading by other species, we know that a thick, long mane can be a sign of health, making an animal more appealing.
There are plenty of reasons why giraffes have horns, and ossicones are very important. Female giraffes have narrow horns angled horizontally. A female giraffe has more hair as females don’t use their horns to fight. Male giraffes have much bigger ossicones that become bald on top due to fights, referred to as necking. Necking is a fight between males to show strength or to settle disputes. They bang their necks to topple their opponent, which is why male giraffe horns become bald. Sivatherium actually looks like the perfect mix between an okapi and giraffe. When you look at the head you will notice bigger horns than okapi and giraffe.
How many giraffes are left?
Currently, only 97,000 giraffes are left in the wild. This number was 157,000 30 years ago. This has resulted in “Vulnerable” status being attached to the tallest mammal. There are counted 2645 Nubian, 8700 Reticulated and 659 Rothschild giraffes in Africa. Recently, 13 giraffes from South Africa were released in the Malawi Wildlife reserve, Africa.
Giraffes are endangered. Some giraffe species are critically endangered, with only a handful left in the wild. In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons behind this drastic decline and what we can do to save these gentle giants.
1. Loss of Habitat
As humans continue to encroach upon the habitats of giraffes, they are forced out of their traditional ranges, leading to a fragmentation of their populations.
2. War
Civil unrest contributes to the decline.
Giraffes are poached for their meat, pelts, bones, hair and tails by hunters and trappers wielding snares, guns and other weapons. Giraffe hair is used to make jewelry, and giraffe tails are highly valued by some cultures.
There are now approximately 68,000 giraffes left in the wild. Giraffes have already become extinct in seven African countries, where they were once widely found. Giraffes are suffering a “silent extinction.” Their population has gradually declined 40% in 30 years.
Giraffes occupy only a fraction of their historic range. Habitat loss through expanding agriculture, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching for their meat, pelts, and tails, are among the reasons for the decline.