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g African Culture Site
Jeanne Daigle
BellaOnline's African Culture Editor

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Giraffe Facts

Name: Giraffe

Latin Name: Giraffe camelopardalis, which means "the fast-walking camel-leopard."

African Names: Twiga (Swahili), Ndwiga (Kikuyu), Indlulamethi (Zulu), Kameelperd (Afrikaans)

Sub-Species: 9 accepted sub-species - Reticulated giraffes (most common, brown spots on white), Nubian giraffes, Nigerian/West African giraffes (pale, reddish yellow spots), Kordofan giraffes, Baringo or Rothschild’s giraffes (deep brown spots sometimes rectangular-shaped), Kilimanjaro or Masai giraffes (leaf-shaped spots), Thornicroft’s giraffes, Angolan giraffes, Southern giraffes

Height: 14 to 20 feet (4.2 to 6.0 meters)

Average Adult Weight: Female, 1540-2600 pounds (700-1182 kg) on average

Life Span: 10 years, but have been known to live up to 27 years

Description: Giraffes have black tongues. Although their neck is very long, they only have 7 vertebrae in their necks - just like humans! Giraffes are normally silent, but calves can bleat, cows bellow to find their calves, and they will also give warning snorts, moans, and hisses.

Habitat: Giraffes live only in the African savannah, in scrub, and open acacia woodlands south of the Sahara.

Babies: Live birth. A baby giraffe has a 6 foot (2 meter) drop when it is born and lands on its head!

Food: Mostly tree leaves. Giraffes drink very little and can go up to two weeks without water. They have four stomaches (similar to a cow) where they regurgitate their food and chew it completely.

Group Name: A tower or herd which can consist of two to fifty giraffe. Groups of young giraffe are called creches.

Habits: Giraffes sleep up to 12 minutes per day.

Endangered: No

Recommended Reading & Viewing:

ABC correspondent takes you into the life and times of the giraffe of Africa.

On the DVD:
*See a giraffe born - yes it did land on it's head!
*Learn about Giraffe Manor in Kenya
*See how giraffe are moved from one reservation to another
*Learn about the giraffe that walked to Paris.

Lynn Sherr also wrote the companion book to the DVD "Tall Blondes".

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Content copyright © 2008 by Jeanne Daigle. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Jeanne Daigle. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Jeanne Daigle for details.

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