Field guide · common
Giraffe
The sky-walker — Earth's tallest animal, browsing acacia tops with a prehensile tongue and a view no other herbivore can match.
Vulnerable
Overview
The giraffe is an icon of the African savanna: long-legged, long-necked, and patterned in patches that vary by subspecies — reticulated nets in Kenya, jagged oak-leaf shapes elsewhere. Bulls can reach nearly six metres tall and settle disputes with slow-motion neck swings called 'necking'.
Despite the length of their necks, giraffes have the same seven vertebrae as humans — each one simply much longer. Their 45-centimetre tongues are dark purple to prevent sunburn while reaching thorny acacia leaves other animals cannot touch.
Habitat
Open savanna and acacia woodland in Kenya, Tanzania, and across sub-Saharan Africa suit giraffes. They need scattered trees for browsing and open ground to detect predators, and are often seen at waterholes splaying their front legs to drink.
Countries found
Interesting facts
- 01
Giraffes have the same number of neck vertebrae as humans — just seven, each much longer.
- 02
No two giraffes have identical spot patterns.
- 03
They sleep for only minutes at a time, often standing up.
Conservation status
Giraffes are Vulnerable, with populations falling by nearly 30% since the 1980s due to habitat loss, poaching, and civil unrest. Kenya's protected areas remain important strongholds.
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Where it lives
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