|
It's the tallest animal or mammal
in the world. It has a very long neck with short,
upstanding mane, high shoulders sloping steeply
to hindquarters. It's super long legs are nearly
equal in length.
The males weight 2420-4250 pounds
or (1100-1932 kg) Their shoulder height is 9-11
feet or (2.7-3.3 meters), top of horns up to
18 feet (5.5 meters); Females
weigh 1540-2600 pounds (700 1182 kg), female
shoulder height is 2 feet shorter.
|
|
Phylum:
Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Artiodactyla,
Suborder: Ruminantia, Family: Giraffidae
People have marveled over the giraffe's height
and beauty for thousands of years. When the
first zoo was established by Queen Hatshepsut
3,500 years ago, a giraffe was transported 1,500
miles down the Nile River for the Queen's zoo.
In 1827, when a giraffe was placed on public
display for the first time in Paris, it nearly
caused a riot. The arrival of the giraffe also
started a fashion frenzy, influencing hairstyles,
clothing, and accessories. It's the giraffe's
speed, not its height, that gave it its name.
"Giraffe" comes from the Arab word xirapha (zee-RAF-ah),
which means "the one that walks very fast".
There is only 1 species of giraffe.
GIFAFFE'S RELATIVES: The rare okapi is an animal
confined to a small region within the Congo
Basin and only discovered early this century.
This animal is the rainforest ancestor of the
giraffe.
WHERE IT LIVES: Wherever there are trees in
the Sahara. Eliminated from most of West African
and southern Kalahari range but still reasonably
common even outside wildlife preserves.
WHERE TO SEE IT: Many different parts of eastern
Africa. This animal is most approachable along
well traveled roads in the popular national
parks of Africa.
PREDATORS: 50 to 75% of all giraffe calves fall
prey to lions and spotted hyenas during the
first few months of life. As adults giraffe's
are too big to be regular prey. Mother's will
stand over and defend her calf against lions,
which run the risk of being kicked to death
if they get within striking distance.
|
