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Name || Giraffe

Scientific Name || Giraffa camelopardalis

Conservation Status || Lower risk, conservation dependent

Habitat || African grasslands

Unique Features || Giraffes can be identified by their extremely long neck and legs. Each individual giraffe has a unique spot pattern. There are three distinct types of giraffe - Masai, Reticulated and Rothschild. The tallest recorded giraffe was 5.88m tall (average height is 5.3m for males and 4.3m for females). Social Behaviour || Giraffes live in small loose groups that change often. Babies are never left alone, but are looked after in a kind of nursery group where female help look after each other's calves. Diet || Giraffes are browsing animals that use their long necks and tongues to reach leaves and shoots beyond the reach of other grazing animals. In the wild they can eat up to 66kg of food daily. Reproduction || Females give birth to a single baby after a 15 month pregnancy. The baby is 1.8m tall when it is born. Twins are possible but rare. Life Cycle || Females reach sexual maturity at around four years old, males slightly later. They can live up to 25 years. Relatives || The only living relative of the giraffe is a rare animal called an okapi which looks like a cross between a zebra and a deer with horns like a giraffe. Interesting Facts : Giraffes give birth standing up, and the baby is born feet first. Calves can stand within an hour of birth. An average of 16-20 hours per day are spent feeding and up to 60kg of fresh browse are taken. Thorns do not seem to be a deterrent to feeding; the long, prehensile, muscular tongue (which can be up to 45cm long), thick, gluey saliva, and special upper palate shape enable the giraffe to process thorny foods. Giraffe drink water if it is available but can go weeks without it; they rely on the morning dew and the water content of their food Giraffe can run at speeds up to 50kph. There are a number of misconceptions about giraffe. One is that they cannot make any sound. Although generally quiet, they have been heard to grunt, snort and bleat. Another is that they never lie down. In fact, they often lie down to sleep, with head and neck lying across the flanks, although these sleeping periods tend to be brief - one to twenty minutes. They have only seven vertebrae in their neck, the same number as man They have special two way valves in their veins so they can bend over without getting a head rush. Heart is as big as a basketball and weighs 12kg. Horns are bony masses covered with skin and tufts of hair and are not really horns at all. Fights with other giraffes involve neck wrestling and head banging; defence against predators is characterised by striking out with the forefeet, giraffes are capable of killing a lion. Males have extra bone deposits on their skulls for fighting. Breeding Programme || Our Giraffes are part of an international breeding programme. Environmental Conditions || Numbers are dropping in Western Africa, but they are still common in Eastern and Southern Africa. At Wellington Zoo || We have two hybrid giraffes at Wellington Zoo - Tisa and Zahara.

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