How long do giraffes sleep each day? What do giraffes eat?

Giraffes have a pair of large brown eyes with protruding eyeballs that can rotate around, with a wide field of vision. With their tall bodies, they are like living "lookouts". Why do giraffes have such long necks? How long do giraffes sleep every day? Please open the relevant content on the Encyclopedia Knowledge Network to see relevant knowledge about giraffes.

Contents of this article

1. Giraffes sleep approximately

2. What do giraffes eat?

3. Why do giraffes have such long necks?

Giraffes sleep approximately

Giraffes sleep very little each day, usually only about two hours a night. Giraffes usually doze off while standing, and they put their heads on branches to avoid neck fatigue. Giraffes sleep standing up because it takes a long time to stand up from the ground, which can be dangerous.

Unlike humans, giraffes sleep very little each day, usually only two hours a night. Giraffes usually doze off while standing, and because their necks are long, they put their heads on branches to prevent neck fatigue.

Giraffes have very slender bodies, and it takes them about a minute to stand up from the ground. Therefore, if they fall to the ground to sleep, they may face danger. It is safer to sleep standing up, and they can also escape or fight back at the first moment.

What do giraffes eat?

1. Giraffes mainly eat various leaves, especially leaves of the Mimosa genus. A giraffe can consume 63 kg of leaves and twigs every day. They are thirst-resistant and can go without water for a year if the leaves are sufficiently hydrated.

2. Giraffes have a pair of large brown eyes with protruding eyeballs that can rotate around, with a wide field of vision. With their tall bodies, they are like living "lookouts" that can see what is happening in the distance. Giraffes can run very fast because of their long legs, which is also a skill they have developed in the competition for survival.

3. When running, the posture is very special. First, the head and neck are stretched forward, then retracted, swinging alternately. The way of walking on four legs is different from other animals. The two legs on one side and the two legs on the other side are moved forward alternately, and they move forward like jumping. The running speed is very fast.

Why do giraffes have such long necks?

Giraffes can only stretch their necks to eat leaves, but the number of leaves is limited. Those with short necks cannot eat the leaves and are easily starved to death and eliminated. Those with long necks have relatively abundant food and are more likely to survive. The genes for long necks are more often passed down, and the proportion of long necks in the entire population is getting larger and larger. After generations of natural selection, the necks of giraffes have become longer and longer, becoming what we see today.

Giraffe (scientific name: Giraffacamelopardalis) is a ruminant even-toed ungulate living in Africa. Its Latin name means "camel with leopard prints". They are the tallest extant land animals in the world. When standing, they can reach 6-8 meters from head to toe and weigh about 700 kilograms. Newborn cubs are 1.5 meters tall. Their teeth are primitive low-crowned teeth. They cannot feed on grass, but only on leaves. They have a long tongue that can be used for feeding. They have short horns covered with hairy skin.