Giraffe

The giraffe (Giraffa) is a genus of African even-toed ungulate mammals, the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants. The genus currently consists of one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, the type species. Seven other species are extinct, prehistoric species known from fossils.

Taxonomy

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Giraffidae
Genus:	Giraffa

Life Cycle

• A female giraffe give birth to a young one also known as calf after being 15 months pregnant.
• The calf stays near its mother and depends on her for protection and food and drinks its mother milk for about 9 to 10 months.
• When a calf is born it weighs about 150 pounds and stands about 6 feet tall.
• The transformation of a calf to a young adult is very fast and grows about 1 inch every week.
• A giraffe matures at about 3 to 5 years of age.
• They start mating usually from the age of seven

Fun Facts

• They are the tallest mammals on earth. Their legs alone can be taller than an average human being, that is, about 6 feet.
• There are four species of giraffe. They are Northern Giraffe, Southern Giraffe, Masai Giraffe and Reticulated Giraffe.
• A giraffe’s neck is short to reach the ground. To drink water, a giraffe has to spread his or legs or kneel down.
• A giraffe can get the required amount of water from the plants he eats. So, a giraffe needs to drink water only sometimes.
• They can run very fast, almost 35 miles an hour.
• Giraffes needs very less sleep. They usually have a nap for about 5 to 30 minutes every 24 hours.