AANB 02 Karen Blixen & Giraffe Centre – 4 Hours

The name “giraffa” has its origins in the Arabic word “xirapha” which literally means “one who walks swiftly” which refers to the quick gait with which these animals walk. The specific name “camelopardalis” is interestingly a reference to its size and hide - “as big as a camel” (‘camelo’) and "as spotted as a leopard" (‘pardalis'). Both males and females have spotted coats and the deepness of the colour varies in order to coincide with their specific environment to aid camouflage.

The front legs are longer than the back legs and the long neck contains 7 elongated vertebra. Giraffe horns are called ossicones and are actually bone protuberances covered with skin and fur. Females have thin and tufted horns while male horns are thicker and smoother because of their sparring with other males. Giraffes have large eyes and a very long purple-black tongue which is used to grasp prickly food from the tops of trees.

Giraffes are not very water dependant and only occasionally drink water as they obtain most of the moisture from food plants and can therefore survive away from water sources. They are mostly diurnal but will on occasion also feed and move during hours of darkness. During the hottest time of the day they either rest standing up or lying down in the open or in the shade with their necks erect. The taller, heavier males make use of different orientations towards the sun to minimise radiation while females and calves usually select shadow. Giraffes are also endothermic as they use their metabolically generated heat to regulate their body temperature independently from the ambient temperature. Giraffes can sleep deeply for a few minutes at a time with their head bent back in an arch against their bodies.

They are mainly predated by lions although leopards, hyenas and crocodiles sometimes take the young, sick or elderly. Giraffe have been known to kill lions with their powerful kick and they also have a height advantage as they can see predators coming from a great distance.

A very interesting fact is that giraffes do not form any strong social bonds but only loose herds. These open unstable herds can reach numbers of up to 70 with individuals joining and leaving the herd at will. It was also found that female giraffes are much more social than males.

Giraffes have polygymous courtships which start when a bull approaches a female to perform a urine test, smelling the urine with a pronounced lip curl, a behaviour referred to as flehmen. Conception mostly takes place in the rainy season with births then occurring during the cold, dry winter months from May to August. The gestation period is very long - 457 days long. Giraffes give birth standing up or walking. At birth giraffe calves can weigh between 50 and 55 kilograms and are approximately 2 metres tall. Female giraffes only reach sexual maturity at 3 to 4 years old but they do not breed for at least another year. Most males only start breeding at the age of 7. Giraffes are viviparous where fertilization and development take place within the female body where the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.

The life expectancy in the wild for giraffes is approximately 10 to 15 years but the longest known lifespan in the wild has been 25 years of age. In captivity the normal life expectancy is 20 - 27 years of age.

Giraffes are not very vocal and are rarely heard as they mostly communicate with infrasonic sounds. At times they do produce grunts and flute-like sounds.