Africam

Giraffa cameleopardalis

• Lives in loose, unstable herds, individuals join and leave the herd at will. Herds can include mixed genders and ages. Mature bulls often roam alone but will associate with a herd that has an oestrous female in it.
• are not territorial and don't defend territories but males will develop a local hierarchy by fighting one another. Rival males will fight by swinging their necks and striking with their heads from the side.
• By kicking with either the fore- or hind feet, the giraffe's large hooves can break a lion's back.
• can run up to 55km/h but can hardly jump.
• will sleep standing up but will occassionally lie down to sleep. Usually only sleep a few minutes at a time.
  

• are browsers and have a black tongue.
  
• main food is the leaves of acacia trees. The presence of thorns on the trees protects the trees by slowing the browsing.
• male giraffes tend to feed with their head and neck completely stretched, while females will feed lower with their heads down.
  

• to drink a giraffe must either straddle or bend its forelegs. Are very vulnerable when they drink and always look around carefully before bending.
• a special blood vessel-system protects the brain from the sudden change that comes from raising and lowering the head.

• a giraffe will chew bones for its need to large quantities of calcium and phosporus. click here to watch a video of giraffes chewing bones at the Nkorho waterhole.

• female giraffes give birth standing up or walking. A giraffe calfs hides throughout most of the day and night of its first weeks, remaining on the ground.
  
• female giraffe horns are thin and tufted with black hair, male giraffe horns are thick but the hair is smoothed by sparring.

• Ancient Romans and Greeks thought that the Giraffe was a mix between a camel and leopard. This is where their scientific Genus name "cameleopardalis" comes from.

Giraffe drinking at Elephant Plains

References 

Wild Ways – Peter Apps 

Beat about the Bush – Trevor Carnaby

Safari Companion - Richard D. Estes

Behaviour guide to African mammals - Richard D. Estes

Kingdon Field Guide to African mammals - Jonathan Kingdon

Did you know...

Currently LIVE On Our Safari Cameras
Click On A Link For Full Motion Video and Stereo Sound