The Giraffe

The giraffe has 7 neck bones just like humans and other mammals. Even a mouse has seven neck bones. The giraffe’s bones are much longer than ours, that is why they can have only 7 bones.

The males are called bulls and the females are called cows. The baby giraffes are called calves. The other thing that is similar is that they also chew the cut that means they have to chew their food four times.

Giraffes have to widen their front legs very far to drink. When they are drinking they are most likely to be attacked by lions. Lions, leopards, hyenas and hunting dogs attack the babies but only the lions attack the adults.

The mom goes to a separate place to give birth. When the baby is born, the mom immediately starts to lick it and clean it. Not only is it to clean the baby but she also does it that she may know what the smell of her baby is. In a few minutes the baby can stand and drink. They stay alone for a little bit until the baby can run.

Most animals like antelope walk around with giraffe because the giraffe wag their tails when danger is near. And that warns them. An ox-pecker eats the flies and bugs off the giraffe but they are also a problem because they peck at sores on the giraffe, or scrapes, and that makes it worse.

They have horns on their heads. They will have at least two, but sometimes 3 or 4. The horns are covered with hair. No two giraffe have the same pattern. There are two kinds of patterns on giraffes. Their head is very, very heavy and their heart is very very heavy as well. Their blood has to go very very very high up to reach the giraffes head. The giraffe has special veins or something that stop the blood from draining down back to its heart.

The giraffe has very good eye site and hearing and a good sense of smell. The giraffe can close its nostrils to keep the flies away and keep the dust out of its nose in a dust storm. The giraffe has teeth that have gaps between them to pull leaves off a branch. Their tongue is very very long so they can wrap it around the leaves and pull them off. It is very useful when they are eating from the acacia tress so that they can get their tongue in between the thorns.