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A journey of giraffe – one description given to the collective of these tall and elegant creatures – also encapsulates their perceived demeanour, that of being on a perpetual journey as they break the horizon in their graceful stride across the savanna. Moving in slow motion from nutritious tree to nutritious tree to browse, theirs is ostensibly a simple and peaceful existence, invoking a similar sense of serenity in an onlooker. Their innate sense of curiosity means they are seldom in a rush to evade human presence and readily return our inquisitive stares between mouthfuls. Lingering with giraffe while they feed and drift is akin to a form of wellness therapy.
Population: ~45, 000 remain
Subspecies: Masai and Thornicroft’s giraffe
Unique traits: Dark, jagged, vine-like patches with irregular edges
Found: Primarily in Kenya and Tanzania
Where to see it with &Beyond: Masai Mara; Serengeti Under Canvas; Klein’s Camp; Grumeti
Population: ~16, 000 remain
Unique traits: Sharply defined polygonal patches separated by bright white lines
Found: Northern Kenya, Southern Ethiopia and Somalia
Where to see it with &Beyond: Suyian
Population: ~5,900 remain
Subspecies: Kordofan, West African and Nubian giraffe
Unique traits: Light, irregular patches and pale inner legs
Found: Central and Eastern Africa (including Uganda, Chad and Niger)
Where to see it with &Beyond: Uganda
Join safari guide, Kris “Harri” Harrison as she traverses our landscapes and discovers the giraffe that live there.
A tower or journey of giraffes
Adapted from Game Ranger in your Backpack © Megan Emmett
Both sexes have bony, skin-covered horns called ossicones. Males’ horns are thicker and bald on the top while females’ are thinner and tufted with hair.
Bulls have a median horn on the forehead, which enlarges with calcification from necking impacts. Other calcified knobs also form. Giraffe are born with cartilage horns unattached to the skull. As the calf grows, the horns ossify from the top down until solid bone forms and fuses with the skull at 4 years old in males and 7 years in females.
Giraffe have brilliant sight, both in light and dark conditions. The eyes are shielded by long eyelashes, which protect the eye when feeding amongst thorns.
The skin behind a giraffe’s ears is white and useful as a ‘follow me’ sign or to remain in visual contact across a landscape.
Giraffe have many adaptations for browsing amongst foliage, especially in thorny trees. The tongue is 45 cm (18 in) , prehensile and extends beyond the mouth.
This gives a giraffe extra height and helps them to grip leaves or strip branches. The tongue is also very rubbery, has papillae and is coated in copious saliva so thorns do not easily penetrate it. The muzzle is narrow and the upper lip supple to pick leaves between thorns.
A giraffe’s patches break up its outline so it need only stand still to disappear amongst trees. Patches are caused by a variation in fur colour and each animal is unique.
Patches also scatter heat, helping animals to thermoregulate. The patch arrangement varies between isolated populations and at least six different races of giraffe are recognised in southern and eastern Africa. Bulls are typically darker than cows and up to a metre taller.
The giraffe is the tallest land mammal. Their large size makes walking awkward so they move the two legs on the same side at the same time to prevent tangling.
The species name camelopardalis means ‘camel-like leopard’ and refers both to the leopard-like pelage and the fact that they walk like camels. Giraffe gallop like hares and reach up to 50-60 kmph (30-37 mph).
Giraffe are ruminants and browse selectively on the most nutritious foliage, their long necks gaining access to leaves out of reach of all herbivores except elephants.
Giraffe can eat up to 34 kg (75 lb) in a day. The biggest bulls browse almost 6 m (20 ft) up and because females are shorter, they do not compete with them for food. Bulls also tend to stretch up to browse while cows will bend down. A modified atlas-axis joint at the skull’s base allows the head to tilt vertically for extra reach too. Constant browsing of particular trees can cause waistlines to develop around the tree and may stunt growth.
Giraffe get much moisture from the leaves that they eat but they do drink if water it is readily available. Bending down potentially subjects their brains to very high blood pressure.
This is because the heart circulates 60 l (13 gal) of blood every minute and the brain may be as high as 5 m (16 ft) above the ground and and 2 m (7 ft) from the heart. Giraffe have a network of small capillaries in the neck that dilate and constrict to control the flow of blood when the animal bends down and stands up. They also have valves in the neck to assist with this process. They may also bend down to chew bones (osteophagia) or soil (geophagia) for minerals lacking in their diet.
Their height gives giraffe advantage in spotting danger in a landscape and smaller animals associate with giraffe to benefit from this.
Giraffe are inquisitive and will stare fixedly at predators lying in the grass or at unfamiliar intruders sometimes even moving closer for a better look. Antelope, warthogs and baboons will respond to this behaviour and sound the alarm.
An enormous body size means giraffe have few enemies, although they can be preyed on by lions and hyena (especially younger giraffe). Their defence is a powerful kick.
A well-placed kick from a giraffe is able to snap a lioness’s spine. Giraffe are especially vulnerable when they lie down at night. They only sleep curled up for 5 minutes at a time. Giraffe are mute and have no alarm call.
Giraffe are gregarious, living in temporary associations, the individuals in a group fluctuating over hours, with varied combinations of sex and age.
There are no lasting bonds between individuals except between mothers and young calves. Bachelors may remain together and very young animals form crèches overseen by one of the mothers.
Bull giraffe are solitary and move between groups searching for cows in oestrus. They are not territorial and a hierarchy develops depending on age, size and skull weight.
Rank is established through ritual necking amongst young males. Necking becomes serious if there is an oestrus cow at stake. Giraffe engaged in necking appear to be swaying in the wind or dancing in slow motion. The goal however, is for a bull to arc and thrust his neck sideways and hit the other with his bony horns and knobbly skull. They stand head to rump and side on. Rivals do their best to avoid blows but injuries do occur in serious matches.
During birth, a cow squats to prevent the calf falling a full 2 m (7 ft) as it exits the birth canal, front feet first, then head. Giraffe weigh 100 kg (220 lb) at birth and can stand in 15 mins.
They initially lie-up in thick vegetation to remain undetected and lower the neck if they need to hide. The mother stays close to protect and feed her calf but may go off for hours to feed herself. Once a little bigger, calves form crèches for safety and mothers take turns to stay with the group and if required, they defend their young bravely. Calves basically grow out of harms way, adding 1 m (3 ft) to their height in the first six months and double that in the year.
However much you know giraffes, to see one in the wild for the first time feels prehistoric. Jane Goodall