Scientific Name:
Giraffa camelopardalis
Distribution
Scatterly distributed in sub-Saharan African
Diet:
Herbivore. Leaves and shoots from trees (mainly acacia).
Facts
Habitat: Savannah
Dimensions: height males 5.9m max, females 4.8m max
Weight: males 1930kg max, females 1180kg max
Gestation: 15 months, 1 young
Lifespan: ~25
Social structure: solitary or unstable groups of 10-20 individuals
Estimated population in the wild: 68,293
IUCN Status: Vunlerable
Threats: Habitat loss and illegal poaching.
Did you know that:
1.It is the tallest mammal on Earth, with 7 neck vertebrae ~30cm each.
2.Their heart weighs ~10kg & can reach 170 pulses to send blood ~3m up to the head.
3.They give birth standing up. The ~100kg calf falls from ~2,5m with a high probability of dying due to the fall.
4.Their long blue tongue is prehensile to grab the leaves off branches
5.There are 9 giraffe subspecies. In our Park we host the Giraffa c. rothschildi with a population of 1.671 individuals in the wild, and Giraffa c. reticulata with a population of 8.661 individuals in the wild.