With their long necks and peculiar movements, giraffes are a standout attraction for many Africa travelers, frequently topping the list of must-see wildlife.
Their impressive size is notable, with adult giraffes standing between 2.5 to 3.5 meters at the shoulder, and the neck adding another 2.5 meters. Despite its extraordinary length, the neck, like all mammals, consists of only seven vertebrae. Approximately 30 kg of leaves, buds, and shoots, primarily from acacia trees, travel down the long esophagus of these ruminants each day. These anatomical marvels require water infrequently, visiting water sources only every two to three days.
Giraffa Giraffa
Die Giraffe
Giraffes live in groups called "towers," typically comprising females and their offspring, while males form separate bachelor herds. They communicate through non-verbal signals such as body language and subtle vocalizations, and can produce low-frequency sounds beyond human hearing.
Each giraffe's coat features a unique pattern of brown spots, allowing for individual identification. These spots aid in camouflage, helping giraffes blend into their environment. Darker spots tend to indicate older animals, becoming more pronounced with age.
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Mr. Longneck from Africa
GUIDE KNOWLEDGE: GIRAFFE
With a total height of up to 6 meters, giraffes are the tallest terrestrial animals on Earth. Interestingly, despite their enormous size, they require water infrequently, visiting water sources only every two to three days. Their long necks are not only useful for foraging but also play a crucial role in male combat. The head of a male giraffe, weighing nearly 10 kg, is up to three times heavier than that of a female, which is generally more peaceful. Females typically do not engage in fights with conspecifics and use their necks mainly for defense against predators.
Another distinctive feature of the tallest land animals is the length and texture of their tongue, the strongest among mammals. Measuring up to 50 cm, it is tough and rough, enabling them to pluck leaves from thorny branches without injury. Their hairy lips are also exceptionally strong and adept at holding branches. Lacking upper incisors, giraffes can use their prehensile tongue not only to pluck leaves but also to pull entire branches into their toughened mouths, stripping the leaves as they withdraw. To protect the tongue from sunburn, it is heavily pigmented at the front.
Interestingly, giraffes sometimes chew on bones, a behavior known as osteophagy, believed to supplement their calcium and phosphorus intake during periods of nutritional deficiency.
The coat pattern of the savanna giraffe is unique. Besides providing camouflage, the dark patches play a significant role in thermoregulation. The dark spots are surrounded by lighter hair, roughly tracing the path of a subcutaneous, ring-shaped artery around each spot, with branches extending into the dark areas. Enhanced blood flow allows the giraffe to dissipate more body heat. The skin in the dark patch areas is thicker and contains larger sweat glands compared to other body regions. Measurements indicate that the surface temperature of the spots is lower than that of the surrounding skin, contributing significantly to thermoregulation. Some researchers believe the "horns" (ossicones) on the giraffe's head also aid in thermoregulation, similar to antlers in deer.
The striking coat pattern also serves another purpose. Studies on giraffes in Etosha National Park revealed that older bulls with particularly dark spots often lead solitary lives and exhibit dominant behavior toward other males, especially during mating. In contrast, equally aged but lighter-colored bulls tend to live in groups and are less dominant, resulting in lower mating success. Thus, coat color appears to reflect an individual's social status. This phenomenon is also observed in the Kambaku Wildlife Reserve, where you can encounter old solitary males, families of mother cows with their young, and smaller groups of bachelors.
According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), there are only about 117,000 giraffes left in the wild, indicating that they are nearing a high-risk status.