Giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world. Their legs alone stand at about 6 feet, making a giraffe anywhere from 14 to 19 feet tall. Because of these long legs, giraffes can run for up to 35 miles per hour. They also can find food where many other animals can't; however, they still have to travel long distances to feed their diet of hundreds of pounds of leaves each week. Although giraffes get most of their water from the leaves they chew, these animals still need a drink every couple of days. This can be a hard task because they have to bend in an awkward position to reach any watering hole, leaving them as an easy target for predators. Their height also creates an obstacle for a giraffe when it's born. Because they give birth standing up, an infant gets dropped about 5 feet when it is comes out into the world. They're tough, however, because within 30 minutes they can stand.
Our economic turmoil has reached a new low. Two state-funded zoos, Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo, may have to close due to an over 50 percent budget cut imposed by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. They originally were granted $6.5 million for the 2010 year, but now that number has dropped to $2.5 million. If the zoos don’t get that money back, they will have only two options: to either send animals off to other zoos or to euthanize them! Lawyers are looking into getting the $4 million back, but if they don’t, the zoos will need to find new homes for over 1,000 animals. Of course, there are cutbacks at other zoos too, so my guess is they will not find enough places for these animals to go. While a zoo is usually thought of as a place that protects animals, now the exact opposite may happen.
The giraffe is the tallest mammal on the planet. Its neck alone can weigh up to 500 pounds, and its heart weighs around 25 pounds. In fact, the giraffe’s heart is so big that it can pump 16 gallons of blood per minute!
Have you ever wondered what sound a giraffe makes? Giraffes are usually silent, but they do make noise in certain situations:
~Calves (baby giraffes) bleat and make a mewing call.
~Cows (female giraffes) seeking lost calves bellow.
~Courting bulls (male giraffes) sometimes let out a loud cough!
Also, giraffes have been heard snorting, moaning, snoring, hissing, and making strange flutelike sounds!
Recent research has shown evidence that the animal communicates at an infrasound level.
Know someone who loves giraffes? This giraffe Christmas ornament might be the perfect gift this holiday season.
Like giraffes, their tongues are blue. Okapi tongues are long enough that they can wash their own eyelids and ears. (Not many mammals can do that, and frankly, I don’t want to!)