What are the habits of giraffes? What is the life span of a giraffe?

Giraffes run very fast because of their long legs, which is also a skill they have acquired in the competition for survival. When running, their posture is very special, first they stretch their necks forward, then retract them, swinging alternately. Isn't it different from the giraffes we usually imagine and see? Then let's learn about the habits and weights of different giraffes!

Contents of this article

1. Habits of giraffes

2. Giraffe Lifespan

3. Giraffe weight

Giraffe's habits

Giraffes have a pair of large brown eyes with protruding eyeballs that can rotate around, with a wide field of vision. With a tall body, they are like a living "lookout" that can see what is happening in the distance. Giraffes can run very fast because of their long legs, which is also a result of their survival competition. When running, their posture is very special. They first stretch their head and neck forward, then retract them, swinging alternately. Their four-legged walking method is different from that of other animals. They move forward alternately with the two legs on the same side and the two legs on the other side, like jumping. They run very fast. They are tall and have long legs. Their limbs can kick in all directions, front and back, left and right, with a wide range of striking and great power. If an adult lion is unfortunately kicked, its legs and waist may be broken immediately. They live in groups, sometimes mixed with zebras, ostriches, and antelopes, and are diurnal. They have keen sense of smell and hearing, are alert and timid, and usually walk leisurely, but run quickly (up to 70 kilometers per hour). They forage at dawn and dusk. In the wild, they mainly eat various leaves, especially leaves of the Mimosa genus. A giraffe can consume 63 kg of leaves and twigs every day. They are resistant to thirst and can go without water for a year if the leaves are well hydrated. Giraffes walk at a leisurely gait. When walking, the front and rear limbs on one side move forward while the front and rear limbs on the other side touch the ground. This is a common way of movement for large quadrupeds, such as elephants. However, when a giraffe encounters an enemy attack, it can run short distances at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour. The running posture is very clumsy, and the front and rear limbs alternately touch the ground. The giraffe's heart is too small, which makes it unable to run long distances. Giraffes sleep very little, usually only two hours a night, and sleep sometimes puts them in danger. Giraffes sleep most of the time, usually standing and dozing. Because their necks are too long, giraffes often lean their heads on branches when they sleep to prevent their necks from being too tired. When giraffes enter the sleep stage, they, like elephants, also need to lie down and rest, and this stage lasts about 20 minutes. However, it takes a full minute for giraffes to stand up from the ground, which greatly reduces their ability to escape during sleep.

Giraffe life span

In the wild, giraffes live about 27 years, and in zoos they can live more than 29 years. They are native to Africa, mainly distributed in eastern Transnawaz, Natal and northern Botswana from sub-Saharan Africa to South Africa. They have disappeared from most of West Africa, except for some remnants in Niger. Giraffes have been reintroduced into South Africa for hunting. They are the national animal of South Africa.

When standing, the giraffe can reach 6-8 meters from head to toe, weighing about 700 kilograms. The newborn cubs are 1.5 meters tall. The fur color and pattern are spotted and reticulated. The head has a wide forehead, a pointed snout, large and erect ears, a pair of short bony horns on the top of the head, and the horns are covered with skin and hair. The neck is particularly long (about 2 meters), and there is a line of bristles on the back of the neck. The body is short, the limbs are tall and strong, the forelimbs are slightly longer than the hind limbs, and the hooves are broad and large. The tail is short and the tail end is a tuft of black hair. The teeth are primitive low-crowned teeth, and cannot feed on grass, but only on leaves. The tongue is long and can be used for feeding. It has short horns, which are covered with hairy skin.

Giraffe weight

Male giraffes weigh between 900 and 2,000 kilograms, while females weigh between 700 and 1,300 kilograms. They weigh between 44 and 70 kilograms at birth. Giraffes, belonging to the phylum Chordata and family Giraffidae, are ruminant even-toed ungulates that grow in Africa. Their Latin name means "camel with leopard prints." They are the tallest terrestrial animals in the world. They are protected as vulnerable.

Both males and females have a pair of small horns covered with skin and fur on the top of their heads. The base color is light brown and they will never fall off. In addition, there are two pairs of horns behind its ears and eyes, but they are not very obvious. Some male giraffes also have a horn in the center of their foreheads. Therefore, they have 6-7 horns. The eyes are large and protruding, located on the top of the head, suitable for long-distance vision. In addition to a pair of large eyes that are natural lookouts for monitoring the enemy, they will also keep turning their ears to find the source of the sound until they determine that everything is safe, and then continue to eat. The head of the giraffe has a hard horn-shaped skull. The giraffe has sparse and short hair all over its body, and is dressed in a coat with a light yellow base color and black-brown spotted patterns of different shapes and sizes. The spotted patterns on the skin are a natural protective color.