What was a giraffe originally called

Learn surprising giraffe facts, such as why they need such enormous hearts and how they get by on less than thirty minutes of sleep each day. A reticulated giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata and a Rothschild's giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi , two giraffe subspecies, photographed at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Salina, Kansas. Common Name: Giraffe. Scientific Name: Giraffa camelopardalis. Type: Mammals. Diet: Herbivore. Size: 14 to 19 feet. Weight: 1, to 2, pounds.

Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Decreasing. This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.

Share Tweet Email. Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs.

Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Currently, GCF is working with local governments in East Africa to increase giraffe conservation efforts. They are also conducting research and monitoring the population on Northern giraffe subspecies in Uganda, as well as studying a skin disease in giraffe that currently has no known cause.

If we work together, we can make a difference! Continue Reading. Admits two named adults in the same household and their children or grandchildren 18 years and under limit six.

Admits one named adult and one guest on every visit OR waive the guest privilege and list two named adults. The gift certificate will be sent immediately to the email address you enter. Enter your own email address if you would like the voucher sent to you directly. Additional Member Leave as a guest spot. Enter keyword. Make a Donation. View Zoos. Home Blog Truth or Tall Tale?

Little known facts about giraffe in the wild. Giraffe have more neck bones than a human. I do NOT recommend trying this at home… Giraffe tongues are like opossum tails. Male and female giraffe are impossible to tell apart.

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is helping to secure a future for giraffe. You can help protect wild giraffe too. Share This Page Copy. Benefits Admits two named adults in the same household and their children or grandchildren 18 years and under limit six Two free guests every visit Free gift. Benefits Admits two named adults in the same household and their children or grandchildren 18 years and under limit six One free guest every visit Free gift. Purchase Family Membership Renew Gift. Benefits Admits two named adults in the same household and their children or grandchildren 18 years and under limit six.

Benefits Admits one named adult and one guest on every visit OR waive the guest privilege and list two named adults. Benefits Admits two named adults in the same household and their children or grandchildren 18 years and under limit six Four free guests every visit Free gift Invitation to attend four ZooZooms.

Okapi are the only living relative of the giraffe. Both are in the Giraffidae family, with girafffes in the Giraffa genus and okapi in the Okapia genus. Giraffidae are ruminants, and share a common ancestor with deer and bovids. On first sight, the two Giraffidae look quite different but do share a number of similar features, including a long, dark-coloured tongue. In the okapi, the tongue can measure between 14 and 18 inches long and they can lick their own ears and eyelids.

Read our guide to okapi and learn more about the species. Giraffes are also called a herd of giraffes. Giraffe feet are the size of a dinner plate with a diameter of 30cm. These huge hooves prevent giraffes from sinking into loose sand despite their great weight. Therefore the giraffe was supposedly the only mammal in the world that could not swim indeed, the authoritative Handbook of the Mammals of the World states bluntly that it cannot.

But this is probably wrong. A study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology used a complex digital model to prove that the average adult giraffe would, in fact, become buoyant in 2.

Admittedly its heavy front legs would tip the animal forward, so to keep its head clear it would need to crank its neck backwards at an awkward angle, while the legs, swept to the rear, would have limited power. So a giraffe could theoretically swim, but it would almost certainly never choose to, and it would be pretty terrible at it anyway. Can They Swim? They only fuse with the skull later in life. Giraffe horns become formidable weapons in adult males, worn bare of skin at the tips — old bulls may even have patches of bare bone elsewhere on their massive, craggy heads.

Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffes have the same pattern. Researchers who spend long enough studying the same giraffes eventually find that they can recognise dozens or even hundreds of individuals from their patterns. Giraffe tongues are huge! When fighting, male giraffes will push and shove against each other. This occasionally escalates into powerful blows delivered by their muscular necks. The loser can be knocked out, and sometimes even killed.

A giraffe heart can weigh approximately 11kg, making it the biggest of any land mammal.