It’s time for the lowdown on one of nature’s gentle giants! Check out our ten facts about the beautiful giraffe…

1) Giraffes are found in the dry savannas of Africa, where they roam among the open plains and woodlands.

2) Well known for their long necks, these gentle giants are the world’s tallest living land animals. An adult male can grow to around 5.5m – that’s taller than three adult humans!

3) A giraffe’s height is helpful for keeping a look out for predators, such as lions and hyenas. Their excellent eyesight allows them to spot hungry beasts from far away, too.

4) Herbivores, giraffes only eat plants. Their favourite grub is the acacia tree, and they use their long necks to reach the leaves and buds in the treetops. Their long tongues (which grow to a whopping 53cm!) also help them pull down leaves growing way up high.

5) And boy do these guys have an appetite! They spend most of their time eating, and can guzzle up to 45kg of leaves and twigs a day!

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable giraffe primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

6) Whilst they may eat a lot, giraffes don’t drink much water. This is because they get most of their water from their leafy meals, and only need to drink once every few days.

7) Giraffes are very social animals and roam around in groups. These groups, called towers, typically have around 15 members led by an adult male. The other members are females and young males.

8) To see who is stronger, males (called bulls) fight by butting their long necks and heads. This is known as “necking“. These fights aren’t usually dangerous, and end when one bull admits defeat and walks away.

9) Female giraffes give birth standing up. The result? Newborns are welcomed to the world with a 1.5m drop to the ground! Ouch! But these infants are quick to get on their feet – within 30 minutes they are standing, and only hours later they”re able to run with their mothers.

10) In the wild these beautiful creatures live for around 25 years. In captivity they live longer, and have been known to reach 40 years old.

Photos: Getty Images UK
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COMMENTS

  • Eve

    Wow amazing cool

  • Megan

    So cool! Love the facts! I am doing a project at school on giraffes and these facts will help me. ❤️GIRAFFES!! (that's why I chose the giraffe as my mammal project!)

  • coolcats

    i love all these cool facts + giraffes

  • THE OBSERVER

    I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU FALL 1.5CM DOWN ITS REALLY SCARY!

  • Ani

    Giraffeeyy goodness

  • Ari

    I love Giraffes

  • Dhwani

    Awesome information. Very helpful for kids and even for parents and teachers who want to educate their children

  • Archie

    i love African animals

  • Giraffe

    Giraffes are sooooo cool therefore, they are my favourite animal.Let's help them!

  • hi

    i love your info

  • Dennis

    it is cool learning about giraffes

  • Bihan

    Giraffes are very big

  • Caitlin

    I love giraffes plus amazing facts some I did not know

  • Madison Turner

    Let's Save Giraffes! (Are They Endangered?)

  • josie

    this is soooooo epic ! loved it so many facts

  • Tiger

    Giraffes are AMAZING!!!

  • EllieOwl

    Nice, I love giraffes. I have a giraffe on animal jam. Its really cute. But the real life ones are better. Lovely

  • gr8

    wicked :)

  • mansi

    These facts are really very nice . because of these facts i can complete my home work very soon . thank you for this facts.

  • FionaNg

    Giraffe is my favourite animal

  • Estera

    fantastic

  • bubble

    really cool

  • ammey

    I am using this for my homewok

  • peacock

    love this site great for school work

  • yessenia

    i love giraffes

  • georgie-10

    i love giraffes

  • baba

    giraffes are so cute

  • DolphinLove

    i love giraffes!

  • Layla234

    Wow

  • micaela velasquez

    this helps me on my giraffe product thanks for all you do.

  • ant-man

    i am doing a procject on giraffes i am so exiting

  • santhos

    THIS IS EPIC

  • lol

    HI DIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOO BORING

  • lol

    THIS IS SOOOOOO BORING

  • aunteffy

    Lovely website.

  • Harleigh

    The site is cool.

  • santhos

    amazing

  • DSH

    giraffes r boss

  • Manolo

    I love giraffes

  • diva18

    i really loved the story really loved the tory but i loved giraffes before i read this passage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LUVED IT!$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

  • paige_gard__

    so usefull

  • Jordan

  • Jessiejo

    Love giraffes

  • Jessiejo

    Cute

  • Jessiejo

    I luv giraffes

  • Jessiejo

    I ?? Giraffes

  • Church's

    Edge,mbcfhjj

  • Hhhgghgyudtygctyd

    G Y

  • Hhhgghgyudtygctyd

    These are vey interesting facts

  • Aneeqa

    Good facts

  • Emsyanimallover

    Giraffes are amazing

  • lucile

    omg

  • phoenix

    brilliant facts

  • ameliaweaver

    Wow! I never knew any of these! So interesting

  • AJplayer

    Hmmm...This has good facts, but I want to know the life span of it.

  • AnimalFAN

    Giraffes are totally my favourite wild animal They are SOOO cute!

  • gsdf

    awsome

  • 420BLAZEIT720SHREK

    Good Site

  • lolas

    is really good

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