Giraffes are ruminants, having a stomach with four chambers.
A giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), is the tallest land animal, and can be found wandering across the Savannah of sub-Saharan Africa. Due to human encroachment, giraffes have been radically reduced in number from their habitat in western Africa, but can be found in eastern and southern areas. They wander across shrub, grass and wooded areas and can consume up to 104 pounds of leaves and twigs daily. Adults have few enemies due to their height, but it is the young which are more vulnerable.
Description
A female giraffe can be 13-16 feet in height and weigh around 1,500 pounds. A male can reach 18 feet and weigh up to 3,000 lbs. Giraffes have a mottled coat pattern with each giraffe owning a unique set, although belong to one species. There are several subspecies of giraffe, including the reticulated giraffe, Nubian giraffe and Masai giraffe, which have varied coat patterns and are found in different regions. They feed on leaves too high to be reached by other animals, using long prehensile tongues they pull and consume acacia leaves. If they swallow sharp thorns, their thick sticky saliva will smooth transition to digestion.
Protection
A giraffe has good eyesight which enables it to watch for predators, but also can kick hard if it has to defend itself which could kill a predator venturing too close. It can camouflage itself by standing still between trees, due to its coat patterns. Although it can run up to 30 mph, it cannot sustain the pace for long. Due to lack of need for sleep, the giraffe only sleeps on average 1.9 hours a day so it will be alert for long periods of time.
Predators
The main predator of giraffes is the lion. Due to the height of a giraffe a predator would have to leap onto it and try to bring it down. Overall, attacks on adult giraffes are low, but it is the infants who sometimes fall prey to lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs or crocodiles. A giraffe is more at risk of attack at the water hole, where it has to spread its front legs wide to drink, and its head is low. It therefore drinks once a day consuming around 10 gallons at a time. Giraffes can be prey to humans hunting for their skins, although it is illegal.
Tags: coat patterns