San Diego, California, August 21, 2008

A mother giraffe nuzzles her baby girl two days after she gave birth in front of guests at the San Diego Zoo.

The unnamed Masai giraffe weighed in at 145 pounds (66 kilograms) and stood 62 inches (157 centimeters) tall. Fully grown, she may reach 14 feet (4.3 meters) tall.

Mother Abby and daughter are bonding in a nursery adjacent to the zoo’s giraffe exhibit and will slowly be introduced to the herd.

Photograph by Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo

1. Giraffes strip leaves from thorny acacia trees, sometimes colonized by ants, with their 45 cm (18 in.) long, prehensile tongues.
2. Bull giraffes forage higher in trees than cow giraffes which reduces food competition between the sexes.
    
3. Long-legged giraffes walk with the limbs on one side of the body lifted at the same time. This gait is called a pace and allows a longer stride which saves steps and energy  
    
4. A mother giraffe often gives birth while standing so that the newborn’s first experience outside the womb is a 1.8 m (6 ft.) drop!

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The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant. Males can be 4.8 to 5.5 metres (16 to 18 feet) tall and weigh up to 1,700 kilograms (3,800 pounds). The record-sized bull, shot in Kenya in 1934, was 5.87 m (19.2 ft) tall and weighed approximately 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Females are generally slightly shorter, and weigh less than the males do.

The giraffe is related to deer and cattle, but is placed in a separate family, the Giraffidae, consisting only of the giraffe and its closest relative, the okapi. Its range extends from Chad to South Africa.

Giraffes can inhabit savannas, grasslands, or open woodlands. They prefer areas enriched with acacia growth. They drink large quantities of water and, as a result, they can spend long periods of time in dry, arid areas. When searching for more food they will venture into areas with denser foliage. Read the rest of this entry »

In the 15th century Chinese ships were travelling to Africa and as part of this trade a giraffe appeared at the court of the emperor in Beijing.

A few decades later another giraffe appeared in Florence, Italy, as Amerigo Vespucci and his fellow sea captains were preparing to across the Atlantic.

In the 15th century, when the Chinese suddenly stopped their overseas discoveries, the Europeans began theirs.

My idea is that the two giraffes could help tell us why.

Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals, thanks to their towering legs and long necks. A giraffe’s legs alone are taller than many humans—about 6 feet (1.8 meters). These long legs allow giraffes to run as fast as 35 miles (56 kilometers) an hour over short distances and cruise comfortably at 10 miles (16 kilometers) an hour over longer distances.

Typically, these fascinating animals roam the open grasslands in small groups of about half a dozen.

Bulls sometimes battle one another by butting their long necks and heads. Such contests aren’t usually dangerous and end when one animal submits and walks away.

Giraffes use their height to good advantage and browse on leaves and buds in treetops that few other animals can reach (acacias are a favorite). Even the giraffe’s tongue is long! The 21-inch (53-centimeter) tongue helps them pluck tasty morsels from branches. Giraffes eat most of the time and, like cows, regurgitate food and chew it as cud. A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of leaves each week and must travel miles to find enough food. Read the rest of this entry »

 That is what usually you cannot see on TV. The way they fight is very interesting. Look, very unusual !!!

 So! That show that giraffes are the most peaceful animals. No blood, to screams 😉

Best pictures!