Did you know?: 1 Giraffe footprints are 12 inches and 9 inches wide. 2 The giraffe is the worlds tallest animal. 3 A giraffe's tougue is black 4 Males and females tend to eat from different parts of a tree to ensure that the sexes do not compete for food. 5 The idea that giraffes are mute is very wrong! Although they are normally quiet, calves bleat and make a mewing call, cows seeking lost calves bellow, and courting bulls may emit a raucous cough. Giraffes also give alarm snorts, and moaning, snoring hissing, and flutelike sounds have been reported. 6 Giraffes are one of the few animals born with horns. 7 A giraffe is one of the few animals that uses mostly its front legs when it runs. 8 Giraffes live in the African savannah, scrub, and open acacia woodlands south of the Sahara 9 Like camels, giraffes can go for long periods without drinking water. Since they must assume an awkward stance to drink -- with their front legs splayed and their heads down -- this ability also makes them less vulnerable to predators. 10 Giraffes have extremely elastic blood vessels in their neck to help them lean their heads down to drink. It's a good thing they do or they would lose consciousness each time they tried to get water from a stream. 11 The mighty giraffe can drink 12 gallons in one setting 12 For the first four to five months, calves congregate in nursery groups called creches to rest and play while mothers forage in the distance. 13 Giraffes are fast and can reach speeds of up to 35 mph. 14 For the first four to five months, calves congregate in nursery groups called creches to rest and play while mothers forage in the distance. 15 Height and excellent eyesight enable giraffes to keep an eye on each other from far away. A dozen may be dispersed over 1/2 mile (0.8 km) of savanna and still be considered to be in a herd. 16 The giraffe's scientific name is camelopardalis. This is the Latin version of cameleopard 17 There are many kinds of giraffes in the world : Kordofan Giraffe,Angolan Giraffe,southern Giraffe,Nigrian Giraffe,Reticulated Giraffe,Masai Giraffe and Rofts Giraffe. 18 The gestational period of a giraffe is 14 to 14.5 months 19 Newborn giraffe calves begin their lives by falling 6 feet to the ground 20 The giraffe has the same number of vertebrae in its neck that most other mammals have (seven) 21 Giraffes rarely lay down; they even sleep and give birth standing up. 22 A giraffe usually sleeps for only 1 - 12 minutes! 23 Each time a giraffe picks up its neck it picks up 550 pounds! 24 Male giraffes will often neck wrestle to establish dominance in their herds 25 Oxpecker birds like to help giraffes by eating bugs off their backs 26 You would have to run in order to keep up with a giraffe walking because every step a giraffe takes is 15 feet long 27 A giraffe has just 2 gaits: walking and galloping 28 A giraffe is one of the few animals that uses mostly its front legs when it runs. 29 Female giraffes weigh 1540-2600 lb (700-1182 kg) on average 30 The giraffes life span is 20 to 25 years Live giraffe-cam: http://208.210.105.5:8081/zoocam.html Baby Giraffe Photo's: http://www.fotos-online.de/english/s/tkgira01.htm all information was obtained at: http://www.randomgiraffefacts.com/index.cgi?c=63894 . . . . . Lisa C. Weber ©2008 (Created with Bryce 6.1) Visit My Complete Portfolio for all My 3D Artwork