Are you searching for random facts about giraffes? Are you a teacher or homeschooling parent working on a lesson plan about giraffes? Did your child see a picture of a giraffe and is curious about them? Here are a few fun facts for kids about these tall creatures.
Giraffes are not very vocal.
We all know that cows “moo” and horses “neigh”. However, the giraffe can be exceptionally quiet. In fact, some zoologists have thought that giraffes are unable to make any type of sound.
However, some animal scientists have noted a variety of sounds. For example, a baby giraffe will make a “mewing” type sound to its mother. Although rare, some zoologists have noticed that adult giraffes can grunt, and even make a “moo” type sound. Some have discovered that males will make a coughing sound when fighting.
Some giraffes have lived as long as 28 years.
In captivity, giraffes will usually live between 16 and 28 years. Giraffes in the wild do not live as long because of disease, accidents and attacks. Also, older giraffes can suffer form arthritis, which makes them more likely to be attacked by predators.
Giraffes are the tallest land animals.
There are no other animals that are taller than the giraffe.
The tallest recorded giraffe was nineteen feet tall.
The tallest giraffe ever was about nineteen feet tall. That is about the size of 4 1/2 kids! Male giraffes will grow to be sixteen to usually eighteen feet tall. Female giraffes will become fourteen to sixteen feet tall. If the giraffes ever come across a two story building, they can look into a second floor window without any help.
Calves (baby giraffes) will play games such as Tag.
According to Giraffes: The Sentinels of the Savannahs (p. 42), two-month-old calves will play games such as Tag and Follow the Leader. At that age, they rest for only five hours a day.
Calves are about six feet tall when born.
Baby giraffes are already taller than most adults when they are born! They grow very fast during their first year of life. During the first week, they can grow an inch or more a day. They usually grow about four feet during the first year of life. They keep growing until they are seven or eight years old.
Giraffes are herbivores.
Giraffes eat only plants and do not eat meat. They consume shoots, leaves, fruits and seepods. They love to eat the fruit of the sausage tree, which appears like sausages hanging from a tree. (You can see a picture here.) They also like to eat from the spiny acacia (an umbrella shaped tree) and young whistling thorn acacia. Giraffes also enjoy eating maroela berries. However, these berries can ferment in their stomach, and they can become intoxicated. This can be very dangerous because they will stagger around and could fall and break a leg.
Giraffes have large appetites. A male giraffe can eat seventy-five pounds of food in one day. Giraffes can go a long time without drinking water, because acacia leaves are 74 percent water. If water is not scarce, they will usually drink about every three days. However, they can go much longer and can rely on moisture in their food and morning dew.
Although giraffes are herbivores, they will sometimes chew the bones of dead animals. This provides minerals such as salt and calcium.
When a giraffe calf is born, it will drop 5-6 feet to the ground.
Baby giraffes enter the world with a big fall to the ground. However, it doesn’t get hurt and will stand up within about an hour. (One giraffe in a zoo, stood within just five minutes.) Giraffes nurse from their mothers. Click here to see a video of a giraffe being born at the San Francisco zoo.
Giraffes have the same number of bones in their necks as humans.
Yes, giraffes have the same amount of bones as people do. Their bones are just larger and longer. Their necks can extend to about eight feet above their shoulders.
Giraffes can run as fast as 35 miles an hour.
Giraffes can run from danger very quickly. They can run as fast as 35 miles per hour for short distances. They can cruise comfortably at about ten miles an hour.
Giraffes have very long tongues.
The tongue of a giraffe can be as long as 21 inches. That is about the length or longer than most newborn babies. This long tongue helps them to reach the leaves and berries of trees. Watch this video here to see the tongue in action.
Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians gave giraffes as gifts to kings.
Humans have interacted with giraffes since probably the beginning of time. Ancient tribesmen decorated caves with drawings of giraffes. They were even presented to royalty as gifts.
Giraffes have excellent eyesight, which can help them spot danger quickly. They can notice a moving person a mile away. Giraffes in the wild stay alert for predators at every waking moment.
Lions and humans are the only real predators of giraffes.
Lions are a predator of giraffes in the wild. However, they rarely have a chance to attack a healthy, adult giraffe.
Giraffes usually stay in herds.
There is more safety in numbers, and giraffes will usually stay in herds with three to fifteen other giraffes. There have been herds noted, however, with as many as seventy-five giraffes. Herds help everyone protect each other because there are more eyes and ears to look for danger.
The gestation period for giraffes is about 426 to 457 days.
Giraffes are pregnant for a lot longer time than humans. They are pregnant for about fifteen months.
These are just a few fun facts for kids about giraffes. If you’re looking for other random animal facts, please read “Fun Facts for Kids About Elephants” and “Facts for Kids About Koalas.” Happy Learning!
SOURCES:
Giraffes by C.A.W. Guggisberg Giraffes: The Sentinels of the Savannahs by Helen Sattler
http://www.foodreference.com/html/f-sausage-tree.html
