Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi

Location in the Zoo: African Savanna

A giraffe may eat up to 75 pounds of food per day. Giraffes spend most of their day eating because they only get a few leaves in each bite. Their favorite leaves are acacia trees. Despite the fact that the acacia trees have long thorns, the giraffes use their 18-to-20-inch tongue to reach around the thorns. When giraffes are not eating, they chew their cud. Acacia leaves contain a lot of water, so giraffes can go long periods of time without having to drink. Giraffes are very vulnerable when they are drinking because they must bend a long way down to drink. Giraffes can drink up to ten gallons of water a day.

Gestation is 14 months. When a baby giraffe, called a calf, is born, he or she drops about six feet to the ground, headfirst. The fall does not hurt the baby. At birth, the calves are about six feet tall and weigh between 100 to 150 pounds. The calf can stand up and walk after about an hour. Giraffes reach maturity at about three to five years of age.

A giraffe’s feet are the size of a dinner plate—about 12 inches. Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans. A giraffe’s tongue is 18 to 20 inches long and black in color. The black color helps to protect the tongue from getting sunburned as the giraffes eats. Giraffes can moo, hiss, roar, and whistle. Giraffes have the longest tail of any land animal. Their tails can be eight feet long. The running speed of a giraffe is 35 miles per hour.