Giraffes live in the dry savannahs of Africa, where they roam among the open plains and woodlands in groups of 15 – 20.  These groups are called towers.

Giraffes are the tallest mammal in the world with the average height of an adult male being around 5 metres and can weigh up to 1200 kgs.  The tallest giraffe ever recorded was a male 5.8 metres tall and weighed 1300 kgs.

Baby giraffes when born can weigh up to 100 kgs and stand about 1.8 metres tall.

Giraffes tongues are between 45 – 50 cm long and are bluish black in colour to prevent their tongues from getting sun burnt.  Because their tongues are so long they can clean every part of their face including their nose and ears with their tongues.

Giraffes are plant eaters and have 4 stomachs.  These extra stomachs help with digesting their food.  Their favourite food are the leaves of acacia trees and they can eat up to 45 kgs of food every day.  Giraffes only need to drink once every few days.  Most of their water comes from all the plants they eat.

Giraffes feet are 30 cm in diametre when fully grown.  That’s the size of a dinner plate!  Their legs are so powerful they can run as fast as 60 kph over short distances, or cruise at 16 kph over longer distances.  Giraffes sleep standing up and sleep less than 2 hours a day.

Giraffe’s spots are like human fingerprints. No two individual giraffes have exactly the same pattern.   Their unique spots become darker as they get older.

Giraffes can live up to 25 years in their natural habitat.