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African savanna
Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
The tallest animal in the world, with a long neck, long legs and a coat of brown patches that is different on every giraffe.
- Size
- Up to 5.5m tall: the tallest animal on Earth
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Savanna and open woodland with acacia trees
My spotter's list
Strides after you on long legs, its neck swaying as it goes. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the giraffe
HeightThe tallest of all
A giraffe can be 5.5 metres tall. Even a newborn calf stands as tall as a grown person.
NeckOnly seven bones
A giraffe's neck has seven bones, the same number as yours. Each one can be 25 centimetres long.
TongueA long, dark tongue
The tongue is about 45 centimetres long and dark in colour, and can strip leaves from between acacia thorns.
PatternNo two the same
Every giraffe has its own pattern of patches, as individual as a fingerprint.
SleepVery short naps
Giraffes sleep for only a few minutes at a time, often standing up, and for little more than half an hour a day in the wild.
WalkingBoth legs together
A giraffe walks by moving both legs on one side, then both on the other. At a gallop it can reach about 35 miles an hour.
The real thing
Photos of the giraffe
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
Scan the tops of the acacia trees: a giraffe's head is often the first thing to show. Their loping walk can be recognised from a long way off.
Lend a handHow to help
Giraffe numbers have fallen by about a third in thirty years, almost unnoticed. Support charities that protect them and their woodland.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
African savanna
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