What is the average weight of a giraffe in pounds

Their height gives them an advantage over other African herbivores, as they can reach the high branches for young leaves. Their inch tongue helps them reach some of the tougher leaves. It takes a lot to fuel such a large mammal, and a giraffe may eat up to 75 pounds of food per day. A giraffe will spend most of its day eating. Giraffes only need to drink once every several days because they get most of their water from the luscious plants they eat.

Acacia trees host their favorite leaves. While these trees have long thorns, which prevent most animals from eating them, giraffes use their long tongues and prehensile lips to reach around the thorns. The dark color of their tongue is believed to prevent sunburn while reaching for leaves.

Giraffes have thick, sticky saliva, which coats any thorns they might swallow. Giraffes can be found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The giraffe gestation period is about 14 months, and an adult female giraffe typically gives birth to one newborn, called a calf, at a time. When a calf is born, it is born feet first, followed by the head, neck, and shoulders. Female giraffes give birth standing up, so the young giraffe starts its life by falling more than 5 feet to the ground.

About an hour after birth, the calf can already start to stand up and walk. Within a week, it starts to sample vegetation. In the nursery, the calves develop physical and social skills through play. The young giraffes can eat leaves at the age of four months, but continue to nurse until they are six to nine months old. Giraffes hit sexual maturity between 3 and 5 years old. Giraffes are social animals.

They live in herds of about 10 to 20 individuals and they can be up to 50 members. Each member of the herd can leave the group at will. Up until recently, the consensus has been there is only one species of giraffe with multiple subspecies.

In , some scientists released a study that claims genetic differences among giraffe populations indicate the existence of four distinct giraffe species. All rights reserved. How many vertebrae are in that long neck? A truly a unique species, giraffes are found only in sub-Saharan Africa and can reach unbelievable heights.

Learn surprising giraffe facts, such as why they need such enormous hearts and how they get by on less than thirty minutes of sleep each day. A reticulated giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata and a Rothschild's giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi , two giraffe subspecies, photographed at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Salina, Kansas. Common Name: Giraffe. Scientific Name: Giraffa camelopardalis. Type: Mammals. Diet: Herbivore.

Size: 14 to 19 feet. Weight: 1, to 2, pounds. Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Decreasing. This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram.

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Giraffe coat colors vary from light tan to practically black. The differences occur due to what the giraffes eat and where they live.

Masai giraffes, from Kenya, have patterns that look like oak leaves. Uganda or Rothschild's giraffes sport large, brown splotches separated by thick, beige lines. The reticulated giraffe, found only in northern Kenya, has a dark coat with a seeming web of narrow white lines. How many bones are there in a giraffe's neck? Just like humans, giraffes have seven neck vertebrae. For giraffes, however, each one can be over 10 inches Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones.

Male giraffes use their horns to spar, throwing their neck against each other. As a male matures, calcium deposits begin to form on his skull to protect it when he head-butts with other males. These calcifications can be quite pronounced, giving the strange appearance of a three- to five-horned giraffe.

Giraffes are so big that they really don't need to hide from predators. There is safety in numbers! Besides humans, only lions and crocodiles hunt them.

If they have to, giraffes defend themselves with a deadly kick, karate-style. Their speed, the way they move, and their body designs also help them to escape predators if they need to. Giraffes have a way of moving, or gait, in which both the front and back legs on one side move forward together, then the other two legs on the other side move forward.

You might think watching out for lions and spending 16 to 20 hours a day eating would all weigh heavily on a giraffe. Surprisingly enough, giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a hour period!

They often achieve that in quick naps that may last only a minute or two at a time. Giraffes can rest while standing, but they sometimes also lie down with their head resting on their rump. Many people think that giraffes have no voice, but they do make a variety of sounds, including moos, roars, snorts, hisses, and grunts.

They just very rarely do so. Threats—such as lions nearby—may warrant a snort. Giraffes are often the early warning signal for other savanna wildlife: if a giraffe herd starts to run, everyone else does, too! Studies suggest giraffes vocalize below the level of human hearing and perhaps use this sound for long-distance communication.

Their elegant stride, outrageous eyelashes, and calm expression give them an air of refinement. Blending right in: In a zoo, giraffes stand out.

But think of giraffes' presence in their African habitat, where their coat patterns actually serve as camouflage, blending with shadows and leaves.