11 Facts About Giraffes

Article Updated: July 28, 2024

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1. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth. Their legs alone are taller than many humans—about 6 feet. [National Geographic Society. "Giraffe." Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]
2. They can run as fast as 35 miles an hour over short distances, or cruise at 10 mph over longer distances. [National Geographic Society. "Giraffe." Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]
3. A giraffe's neck is too short to reach the ground. As a result, it has to awkwardly spread its front legs or kneel to reach the ground for a drink of water. [National Geographic Society. "Giraffe." Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]
4. Giraffes only need to drink once every few days. Most of their water comes from all the plants they eat. [National Geographic Society. "Giraffe." Web Accessed March 21, 2024.]
5. Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up; they even sleep and give birth standing up. [OneKind. "Giraffe." Web Accessed March 21, 2024.]
6. The giraffe calf can stand up and walk after about an hour and within a week, it starts to sample vegetation. [San Diego Zoo. "Mammals I GIRAFFE." Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]
7. Despite the females’ attempts to stand over their calves during attacks by lions, spotted hyenas, leopards and African wild dogs, many calves are killed in their first few months. [Giraffe Conservation Foundation. "Starting Life." Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]
8. A giraffe’s spots are much like human fingerprints. No two individual giraffes have exactly the same pattern. [National Geographic Society. "Giraffe." Web July 28, 2024.]
9. Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use their horns to sometimes fight with other males. [Giraffe Conservation Foundation. "Do All Giraffes Have Horns." Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]
10. Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period! They often achieve that in quick naps that may last only a minute or two at a time. [San Diego Zoo. "Giraffe." Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]
11. Whilst it was thought that giraffes did not make any sounds, this is now known to be untrue, as giraffes bellow, snort, hiss and make flute-like sounds, as well as low pitch noises beyond the range of human hearing. [Wired Magazine. "What Does the Giraffe Say?" Web Accessed July 28, 2024.]