I've said it before: Giraffes are my new FAVORITE animal! I absolutely love them. Their long legs, elegant necks, perfect patterns, and the little nubbins on their ears! Here are some random facts I picked up about giraffes from the National Geographic website...
- Giraffes roam the African savanna in constant search for food, like treetop acacia buds.
- These long legs allow giraffes to run as fast as 35 miles (56 kilometers) an hour over short distances and cruise comfortably at 10 miles (16 kilometers) an hour over longer distances.
- Their average lifespan is 25 years.
- Bulls (male giraffes) usually fight using their long necks and heads, these contests are not so dangerous, and usually results in one giraffe submitting and walking away.
- Giraffes eat most of the time and, like cows, regurgitate food and chew it as cud.
- A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of leaves each week and must travel miles to find enough food.
- Female giraffes give birth standing up. Their young endure a rather rude welcome into the world by falling more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) to the ground at birth.
- Giraffes have beautiful spotted coats. While no two individuals have exactly the same pattern, giraffes from the same area appear similar.
- These giraffe infants can stand in half an hour and run with their mothers an incredible ten hours after birth.
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