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Jackson Zoo
Giraffes are the tallest living animal on earth. Born at five and a half feet, they grow to a majestic eighteen feet.

Houston Zoo
Giraffes do not get up quickly from a sitting position. They 'lumber up' to their feet, using the weight of their neck to keep their balance.

Skinny Guy
An adult giraffe's neck is about six feet long (1.8M) and very muscular. The neck is made up of 7 bones just like a human's neck, but the giraffe's neck bones are much larger.

Montgomery Zoo
Reticulated giraffes are one of the several subspecies of giraffes. Their markings look like a light colored netting laid over a brown body.

Busch Gardens
Sometimes zoos loan their giraffes to keep the captive giraffe population more diverse. For instance, an adult male giraffe might go to live at a different zoo for a year to mate with one of the resident females.

Busch Gardens 2
The blood vessels in a giraffe's neck have special valves inside them that help move the blood up the neck all the way to the head. The valves also keep the blood from rushing to the head when a giraffe leans its head down.

Animal Trivia Uncommon Beauty
Beauty -- the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract without impairing the harmony of the whole. -- Leon Battista Alberti

Tyler, TX Zoo
In warmer climates like that of Texas, giraffes living in zoos do not have to stay in heated giraffe houses through the winter months.

African Savanna
Giraffes are native to the savannas of Africa. These tree-dotted plains are also home to other mammals, such as wildebeest, elephants and gazelles. Giraffes can see long distances due in part to their height. They can see predators before the other animals and may convey an early warning through their actions.

Masai Giraffe
Masai giraffes are one of the several subspecies of giraffes. Their spots have irregular edges unlike the Reticulated subspecies.

Mother and Baby
Newborn giraffes can stand within minutes of birth, but spend many months alongside their mother for guidance and protection. Sometimes a young calf will also go with another adult female of the herd.

Munching Giraffe
The giraffe's diet in its natural habitat consists largely of acacia leaves. A full-grown male giraffe can consume 72 pounds (32 kilograms) of leaves a day. The leaves are nutritrious and have a high water content. Often the giraffe will not need additional water.

Atlanta Zoo
Giraffes in captivity do not enjoy a vast savannah on which to roam. Nor do they hunt for food or have any enemies.

Twins
Every giraffe has unique markings - like human fingerprints. Notice the variation on the necks of these two similar giraffes.

Clipart Giraffe
The giraffe has large lungs for the size of his body. Strong lungs are necessary to pump air up and down the giraffe's six foot windpipe.

Another Masai
This giraffe lives in its natural habitat on the savannas of Africa. Notice the acacia tree in the background. The acacia leaves make up the largest part of a giraffe's diet and supply both food and water.

Grazing Group
Indianapolis, IN is my home town. One section in our zoo is called African Plains. The African animals have large open areas in which to roam. The people can view the animals from raised wooden walkways and from the zoo train which encircles the grounds.

Mother & Baby
In the wild, young giraffe calves are more at risk for attack by lions than are adults. Although calves stay near their mothers for the first few months, the lion waits patiently until he sees the mother move away or become distracted.

Newspaper Photo
This is a photo of a brand new giraffe born at the Indianapolis Zoo in 1998.

Stretching
Male and female giraffes are alike except that males are larger and more muscular. Male giraffes grow to 17 feet tall and 3000 pounds. Females only reach 14 feet and 2500 pounds.

Young Giraffe
I saw this young giraffe leaning over with his legs splayed to eat the grass at my local zoo. He didn't seem to mind all the people staring at him and oohing and ahhing.

Young Giraffe X2
Young giraffes are so lovable. Born at a height of 5'6" they are a lot closer to a human's size.

Adult Giraffe
A giraffe's coloring and markings make good camouflage against trees and grass.

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