Why are giraffes not part of the deer family? How do giraffes sleep?

Giraffe (scientific name: Giraffa camelopardalis) is a ruminant even-toed ungulate animal that lives 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. So why don't giraffes belong to the deer family? How do giraffes sleep? Let's take a look at the introduction of Encyclopedia Knowledge Network!

Contents of this article

1. Why giraffes do not belong to the deer family

2. How do giraffes sleep?

3. What level of national protection is the giraffe?

Why aren't giraffes considered deer?

Giraffes do not belong to the Cervidae family because they are not deer. They belong to the separate Giraffidae family, but they belong to the same order as deer. This is similar to the common saying that "seahorses are not horses" and "seals are not leopards". They belong to the same order but not the same family, and the nature of the animal species is different.

How do giraffes sleep?

Giraffes sleep lying down most of the time, but sometimes they sleep standing up. Giraffes sleep very little, with wild giraffes sleeping only about half an hour a day on average, because they need to stay alert at all times to avoid being attacked by other animals. Captive giraffes sleep more than wild giraffes, sleeping about 4.6 hours a day at intervals, and most of their sleep time is concentrated at night. Because giraffes are preyed upon by large carnivores, they have evolved to stand up and rarely lie down because it is very strenuous for them to stand up.

Giraffes are nationally protected animals.

Giraffes are not national protected animals, but are vulnerable to extinction and are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Giraffes are the tallest and longest-legged land animals in the world.