Giraffe Facts For Kids - Animal Fact Guide

At an average height of around 5 m (16-18 ft.), the giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world.

Giraffes average around 5 m (16-18 ft.) tall! Photo by Byrdyak / iStock.com.

Characterized by its long legs, long neck, and distinctive spotted pattern, many people first believed the giraffe was a cross between a leopard and a camel, which is reflected in its scientific name, Giraffa camelopardalis.

Giraffes live primarily in savanna areas in the sub-Saharan region of Africa.

Benefits of Height

Giraffes’ extreme height provides several advantages. It allows them to eat leaves and shoots located much higher than other animals can reach.

Their height also gives them a great vantage point to spot predators, like lions, leopards, and hyenas. Some scientists believe other prey animals stay close to giraffes because giraffes can warn them of danger.

Giraffes at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia with other prey animals. Photo by Marcel Forrer / iStock.com

Long Necks

You may think that because giraffe necks are so long, they must have lots of bones in their necks. But giraffes actually have the same number of bones in their necks (vertebrae) as we do, which is seven.

Giraffe neck vertebrae are very long, however. Each vertebra could be as long as 25 cm (10 in.)!

Their necks may be long, but giraffes still have the same number of neck bones as we do! Photo by PeterVanDam / iStock.com.

Giraffe neck vertebrae also differ from ours in that their neck joints are more like our shoulder joints. This allows for a greater range of motion and makes their necks really flexible.

Giraffes have a special ligament that runs through their neck and back. This ligament helps hold up their neck and head so they don’t have to rely on just their muscles for support.

In order to pump blood 1.8 m (6 ft.) up their necks into their heads, giraffes need a super strong heart. The walls in the left ventricle of their heart are very thick allowing for increased pumping power.

Giraffe Horns?

Giraffe horns are not actually horns. And they’re not antlers either. Both male and female giraffes have skin-covered bony bumps on their heads, which are called ossicones.

Female ossicones are smaller and have a small tuft of fur on top, while male ossicones are often bald on the top.

Male giraffes lose hair on their ossicones because they use them to fight. They swing their heads and necks at each other in a show of strength called “necking.”

Giraffes have ossicones and blue tongues! Photo by LPETTET / iStock.com.

Long Blue Tongues

Giraffes use their long, prehensile tongues to pull leaves from the trees to eat. Their tongues can be up to 50 cm (20 in.) long!

The front part of a giraffe’s tongue is blue, purple, or black, while the back part is pink. It is thought that this darker coloration in the front protects their tongues from sun damage while the giraffe is eating.

What Giraffes Eat

Giraffes eat leaves and shoots of trees and shrubs. In particular, they seek out acacia and mimosa trees.

Giraffes eat over 45 kg (100 lb.) of vegetation a day! Photo by JamesReillyWilson / iStock.com.

Spending most of the day eating, a full-grown giraffe consumes over 45 kg (100 lb.) of vegetation a day.

Similar to cows, giraffes have four compartments in their stomachs to help break down the fibrous plant material they eat. In addition, food from their stomach (known as cud) passes back up their neck into their mouth so they can chew it some more.

Giraffe Movement

When giraffes walk, they move both legs on one side of their body and then both legs on the other side, which is unusual.

Giraffe walking in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Photo by raisbeckfoto / iStock.com.

However, they run in a similar style to other mammals, swinging their rear legs and front legs in unison.

They can reach 55 km/h (35 mph) at full speed but only in brief spurts.

How Giraffes Sleep

Did you know giraffes sleep less than two hours a day?

In general, giraffes sleep with their feet tucked under them and their head resting on their hindquarters, but they can also sleep for short periods of time standing up.

Giraffe Social Life

Typically, giraffes live in groups of about 10-20, though herds can be as large as 60.

Recent studies have shown that giraffes can have very strong pair bonds, especially between mothers and their young.

A group of giraffes in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Photo by murat4art / iStock.com.

How Giraffes Communicate

Giraffes communicate with each other with snorts, sneezes and coughs. One study in 2015 showed that giraffes also make low-pitched humming sounds at night.

Take a listen here:

Giraffe Reproduction

Female giraffes can become pregnant at 5 years old. They carry a baby for 15 months and give birth while standing up. That means baby giraffes fall about 2 m (6 ft.) to the ground when they’re born!

Newborns are about 2 m (6 ft.) tall and weigh 70 kg (150 lb.).

A baby giraffe with mother in Masai Mara, Kenya. Photo by Devilkae / iStock.com.

Giraffes live up to 25 years in the wild.

Conservation Status

Giraffes are classified by IUCN’s Red List as vulnerable of extinction. After researchers surveyed the population in trucks, by foot, by aircraft, and by remote cameras, they confirmed the number of giraffes has plummeted 40% since 1985.

With some subspecies, such as the reticulated giraffe, the situation is even more dire, with their population declining by nearly 80%.

Giraffes face several threats, including loss of habitat due to logging for firewood. They are also hunted for their meat, hides, and tails, which are valued by many African tribes.

What You Can Do to Help

To help preserve giraffe populations, boycott products made with giraffe body parts and encourage others to do the same.

Where Giraffes Live

Giraffes live primarily in savanna areas in the sub-Saharan region of Africa.

More Giraffe Resources

• African Wildlife Foundation’s Giraffe Page
• San Diego Zoo’s Giraffe Page
• Last of the Longnecks Documentary
• New York Times: “Giraffes May Be as Socially Complex as Chimps and Elephants.”
• National Geographic: Unique Anatomy Sets Giraffe Apart in the Animal Kingdom

Quick Fact Sheet

Common Name(s): Giraffe

Scientific Name: Giraffa camelopardalis

Animal Type: mammal

Size: 5 m (16-18 ft.)

Weight: Up to 1,180 kg (2,600 lb.)

Lifespan: Up to 25 years

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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