Giraffes
General Description
Giraffes are the worlds tallest mammal. They are known for their long neck and unique spotting. The height of a giraffe can range from 14 to 19 feet tall and they can way 1750 to 2800 pounds. They use their legs to walk; their max speed is 35 miles per hour. There are 9 sub-speicies which differ in geographic locations, color, and pattern.
Classification Order
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Artiodactyla
- Family: Girrafidae
- Genus: Giraffa
- Species: Giraffa camelopardalis
A little Giraffe History
Historically Giraffes have been found across Sub-Sahara Africa and parts of North Africa. Today they are extinct from their original area. Today only small populations are located in Central Africa and in South Africa the populations are stable. Giraffes are found to be closely related to the Okapi.
Habitat and Social Interactions
Giraffes roam the grasslands of the African Savannah in small groups of half a dozen.
Diet
Giraffes are herbivores, and they do not drink very much water. Their main source of water is from the hundreds of pounds of leaves they eat per week. They use their long necks to reach to the tops of the trees to eat leaves that other animals are not able to reach.