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GIRAFFES
Towering above all other land mammals, giraffes (Giraffa
camelopardalis) can reach heights of 15 to 17 feet. Known as the sentinels
of the African gresslands, giraffes often see danger before other savanna
animals like zebra and wilderbeest and act as an early warning signal.
A giraffe's sticky, black tongue can be more than 18 inches long and is
used to gather food into the mouth. Males typically feed with their head
and neck at full vertical stretch, often with their tongues extended to
reach the shoots on the underside of the mature tree canopy. Females feed
at the body or knee height, with their knecks curled over. The feeding
behavior is so characteristic that giraffes can be sexed from a distance
just by observation only. The neck,
although greatly elongated, is made up of seven vertebrae which is typical
of most mammals; even humans. Each of the giraffe's bones can be ten inches
high.
Giraffes from different parts of Africa have different color
patterns. The giraffes at Wildlife Safari are known as "reticulated". They
are found in east Africa, as shown on the map.
There are eight other subspecies of giraffe. Can you findthe Masai on the
map? In addition, each giraffe has its own unique marking which can be
a means of identification, like human finger prints. Giraffes do not walk
like most animals, but swing the two legs on the same side of the body
forward at the same time. Adult giraffes can gallop at speeds of 31 to
37 miles per hour.
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