What do giraffes look like

Giraffes also have the longest tail of any mammal. Their tails can be up to 8 feet or 2. Even though giraffes have very long necks their necks are too short to reach the ground because of their tall height.

This means when giraffes have to get a drink of water, they have to bend their front legs awkwardly to reach the ground. Imagine if you had to do that just to get a drink of water! The average male giraffe weighs between 2, to 3, pounds, while the average female can weigh anywhere from 1, to 2, pounds!

The spots on a giraffe are very distinctive, and look like human fingerprints. Interestingly enough, no two giraffes have the same set of spots. Just like two snowflakes or sets of fingerprints are not the same either! Even the giraffes are telling us that being unique is awesome! The long neck gives the Giraffe a slender appearance, even though the rest of its body is muscular and strong.

Giraffes have long tongues that can grow over 50 cm. They use these massive tongues to pull down leaves efficiently. Their tongue is a peculiar bluish black and purple color. Many think that this dark pigmentation is to protect their tongue from the Sun while they munch leaves from the top of the trees. Compared to the human heart that weighs just 0. For sheer size, it is the biggest, and no other land animal has such large heart size, not even the elephant.

With hooves 30 cm the size of a dinner plate, they are able to maintain balance despite their great height. Their massive legs, strong foot and big hooves make for a powerful kick. They can and have killed lions with a single kick, yes! Who lives in the tower can vary. Some towers consist of all females and their young, or all male or mixed genders.

Member are free to come and go as they please, according to the Animal Diversity Web. Giraffes only sleep around 20 minutes or less per day, according to PBS Nature. Staying awake most of the time allows them to be constantly on alert for predators. They usually get their sleep in quick power naps that last just a couple of minutes. Every giraffe has two hair-covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use their horns to playfully fight with one another.

They also spar by swinging their heads at one another and entwining their necks, which is called "necking. Giraffes are herbivores, which means they eat only plants. Their long necks allow them to reach leaves, seeds, fruits, buds and branches high up in mimosa and acacia trees.

They can eat hundreds of pounds of leaves per week, according to National Geographic. Though these animals eat a lot, giraffes can go without drinking for weeks at a time. They get most of their moisture from the vegetation they eat.

As in cattle, female giraffes are called cows, while the males are called bulls. After mating, the cow will have a gestation period of around 14 months. Baby giraffes are called calves. During birth, the calf will drop to the ground, since mother giraffes give birth standing up. The fall can be as far as 5 feet 1. New calves are quite large, at 6 feet tall 1. They are also agile. At just an hour after birth, they can stand up and walk around. Giraffe mothers often take turns watching over the calves.

Sometimes, though, the mother giraffe will leave the calf by itself. Type: Mammals. Diet: Herbivore. Size: 14 to 19 feet. Weight: 1, to 2, pounds. Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Decreasing.

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