How tall are full grown giraffes

Their tongues are a substantial 21 inches 53 centimeters long, and their feet are 12 inches According to the San Diego Zoo , a giraffe's heart is 2 feet 0. Their lungs can hold 12 gallons 55 liters of air. In comparison, the average total lung capacity for a human is 1.

Giraffes live in savannas throughout Africa. They like semi-arid, open woodlands that have scattered trees and bushes, making the savannas perfect for these animals. Giraffes are so social that they don't have territories.

A group of giraffes is aptly called a tower, according to the U. Geological Survey. Towers typically have 10 to 20 members. Who lives in the tower can vary. Some towers consist of all females and their young, or all male or mixed genders. Member are free to come and go as they please, according to the Animal Diversity Web. Giraffes only sleep around 20 minutes or less per day, according to PBS Nature. Staying awake most of the time allows them to be constantly on alert for predators.

They usually get their sleep in quick power naps that last just a couple of minutes. Every giraffe has two hair-covered horns called ossicones.

Male giraffes use their horns to playfully fight with one another. They also spar by swinging their heads at one another and entwining their necks, which is called "necking. Giraffes are herbivores, which means they eat only plants. Their long necks allow them to reach leaves, seeds, fruits, buds and branches high up in mimosa and acacia trees. They can eat hundreds of pounds of leaves per week, according to National Geographic. Though these animals eat a lot, giraffes can go without drinking for weeks at a time.

They get most of their moisture from the vegetation they eat. This site uses cookies and by continuing to browse it you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Read our cookies policy. The giraffe and its lesser-known relative, the okapi, are even-toed hoofed mammals. They have two toes on each foot, and each toe is covered with a hard casing called a hoof.

They are herbivores plant-eaters. Both the giraffe and the okapi live in Africa, but they are found in different places. Giraffes live in grasslands and open woodlands in small herds. About an hour after birth, the calf can already start to stand up and walk.

Within a week, it starts to sample vegetation. In the nursery, the calves develop physical and social skills through play. The young giraffes can eat leaves at the age of four months, but continue to nurse until they are six to nine months old. Giraffes hit sexual maturity between 3 and 5 years old. Giraffes are social animals. They live in herds of about 10 to 20 individuals and they can be up to 50 members. Each member of the herd can leave the group at will.

However, due to their size, giraffes do not hide from these predators. They are able to protect themselves from predators by staying in groups, as it makes it more challenging for the predator. If they need to defend themselves, giraffes have a deadly, karate-style kick. Giraffes can also run very fast, around 35 mph, for short distances. In many African countries, giraffe populations are slowly decreasing. Habitat loss and the overgrazing of resources by livestock are among the largest threats.

The future of giraffes is largely dependent on the quality of the habitat that remains. Another major threat is poaching. Giraffes are shot or snared for their meat, hide, bone marrow, and tail hair. Their population size has been declining in recent years.

Conservation groups, including San Diego Zoo Global, are working to protect giraffes. For example, San Diego Zoo Global supports a community conservation effort in northern Kenya that is finding ways for people and wildlife to live together. At the San Diego Zoo, there is a giraffe-feeding patio where biscuits can be purchased and fed to the giraffes.