Some interesting facts about the giraffes
A giraffes heart can weigh approximately 11kg,making it the biggest of any land mammal.it can pump 60 liters of blood around its body every minute at a blood pressure twice that of an average human.
The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world standing at around 4-5m high and the tallest giraffe ever recorded have been up-to 5-9m. That’s over a meter higher than a double Decker bus,weighs up to 1900kg which is more than most cars.
Giraffes are probably the biggest pollinators in the world thanks to their great height.as they wonder around feeding from the tops of trees,they inadvertently transfer genetic material on their muzzles from the flowers of one tree to those of another.
Despite being incredibly tall,giraffes still only have seven vertebrae in their necks which means a giraffes neck has the same number of bones as a human neck.
Fortunately giraffes only need to drink once every few days,as they can get most of their water from all the plants they eat.
Four distinct species of giraffes,the northern giraffe(Giraffa Camelopardalis),southern giraffe(Giraffa giraffa),reticulated giraffe(Giraffa reticulata)and Masai giraffe(giraffa tippelskirchi).
Giraffes used to be disturbed throughout north and west Africa,including the Sahara and along the Nile. Today giraffes are only found in sub Sahara Africa.
The Africa species giraffe originated from Eurasia probably temperate Eurasia.the genus evolved seven to eight million years ago.
giraffe feet are the size of a dinner plate with a diameter of 30cm. These huge hooves prevent giraffes from sinking into lose sand despite their great weight,hence they cannot swim.
Osteophagy is a behavior where giraffes eat and chew the bones from carcasses to make their own bones strong.
Giraffes give birth while standing up so the first thing a baby giraffe knows is a 2 meter fall to the ground.despite the bumps start,baby giraffes can stand up within an hour of birth after a 15 -month gestation period but because they are able to breed all year round,giraffes don’t need to resynchronise with the seasons each time they give birth.
Sadly about 50% of giraffe calves do not survive their first year.
