45 Mind Blowing Facts About Giraffe

The Giraffe is one of the most remarkable and tallest animals on the planet. It also has the most extended neck of any other creature. It is native to Africa and lives in savannahs, grasslands, and woodlands. Despite its thin legs, it has a powerful kick that can injure any animal that tries to prey on it, especially lions, which are more likely to target giraffes than any other animal. The Giraffe would fight with other giraffes with the help of its neck rather than its legs because legs can be fatal, and dominance in the giraffe family is only demonstrated by using the neck. So here are 45 Interesting Facts about Giraffe that will amaze you.

1. There are about 111,000 giraffes left in the world.
2. Giraffe’s blood pumps at the highest rate than any other animal. The blood pumps at (280/180 mg Hg) which is twice that of humans.
3. The heart of a Giraffe beats at the rate of 170 beats per minute which is double of humans.
4. The heart of a giraffe pumps 160 gallons of blood every minute.
5. The super muscular heart of a giraffe is around two feet long. A unique vein and one-way valve network prevent back-flow, preventing blood from rushing to the head.
6. The heart of an adult giraffe weighs on average 26 pounds(11.8 kg).
7. The Giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world.
8. A fully grown giraffes tongue can grow up to 21 inches(1.75 ft) in length. The long tongue allows them to reach the highest and tastier leaves while avoiding sharp thorns on the branches.
9. They can clean their ears with their tongue.
10. Back in history, giraffes were considered gifts of peace and friendship. Arabs made present of them to rulers in the Far East.
11. There are nine subspecies of giraffes. Their fur patterns distinguish them.
12. Young giraffes grow at a great pace and can develop an inch a month.
13. Giraffes don’t make any sound. This not because they can’t; it’s because they don’t want to.
14. Giraffes have vocal cords or voice boxes, but they cannot produce sufficient airflow through their long trachea to vibrate their vocal cords and make noise.
15. Male giraffes fight with female giraffes using their necks which are called “necking.”The two giraffes stand side by side, and one of them swings his neck and head against the other. Sometimes one of the giraffes is hit to the ground during the combat.
16. They need less food than many grazing animals because the foliage (plants) they eat has more nutrition. Their digestive system is more efficient than many other animals.
17. Despite having so long neck, they have seven neck vertebrates, just like humans.
18. They have distinctive spots that cover giraffes furs and act as a good camouflage that protects them from predators. When they stand in front of bushes or trees, the dark and light coloring of its fur blends in with the sunlight and shadows.
19. A giraffe can easily kill a lion with the power of his heavy hooves and long legs.
20. A male graph can weigh anywhere around 0.6 to 1.9 tons (544 kg to 1723 kg), and a female can weigh up to 1.3 tons(1180 kg).
21. The hair that makes up a giraffes tail is about ten times thicker than the average strand of human hair.
22. The tongue of giraffes is black in color.
23. When a giraffe’s baby is born, it falls from a height of six feet and falling from so much height they don’t get hurt.
24. An adult giraffe’s intestines measure more than 70 m (230 ft) in length.
25. Male giraffes check the fertility of the female by a unique method. This happens just before mating, the female urinates in the male Giraffe’s mouth, and he gets to know she is fertile or not.
26. A fully grown giraffe’s neck can weigh as much as 500 pounds (227kg).
27. A giraffe’s neck can measure up to 6 feet (1.8 m) long.
28. Male giraffes can grow up to 18 ft (5.5 meters) tall.
29. A group of giraffes is called a tower.
30. Baby giraffes are called calves.
31. In cattle, male giraffes are called bulls, while females are called cows.
32. Giraffes have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
33. Giraffes do not swim, and no one as such has ever seen a giraffe swimming.
34. In a period of 24 hours, giraffes only need to sleep for 5 to 30 minutes.
35. Mostly the water they need comes from the plants they eat. Due to that, they need to drink water once every few days.
36. Spots of a giraffe are just like human fingerprints: no two single giraffes can have exactly the same patterns.
37. The Giraffe’s feet are about 12 inches(30.5cm) long, which’s the exact size of a dinner plate.
38. The neck of a giraffe is too short of touching the ground, so it has to stretch its front legs or kneel sideways to get to the ground and drink water.
39. Giraffes can resist without drinking water than camels can do.
40. The legs of Giraffe alone are taller than most humans: about six feet (1.81 m).
41. Due to predators like leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs, 50 % of giraffe calves do not survive their first six months.
42. Giraffe is now extinct in at least seven African nations.
43. Till 2008, the Santa Barbara Zoo had a giraffe called Gemina, which had a permanent 90-degree bend in its neck caused by fused vertebrae.
44. Giraffes are the only vertebrate species that cant yawn.
45. Giraffes have an almost equivalent hearing range to humans as they can hear frequencies varying from 16 to 18000 hertz. In contrast, Humans have a range of 20 to 20000 hertz.