Giraffe

Giraffe facts at a glance

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Built tall

A giraffe's neck alone can be over 2 m (6 ft) long, yet it contains only seven vertebrae like almost all mammals. To pump blood up to the brain, the giraffe has an oversized heart and the highest blood pressure of any animal, with special vessels in the neck that stop it blacking out when it lowers its head to drink.

Diet and feeding

Giraffes are browsers that feed mainly on the leaves, shoots, and flowers of acacia and other trees, using a long prehensile tongue and tough lips to strip foliage past the thorns. They eat for many hours a day and get most of their water from their food, so they can go long stretches without drinking.

Social life and defense

Giraffes live in loose, ever-changing herds. Males settle dominance by 'necking', swinging their heads at each other like clubs. Their main defense is a powerful kick that can injure or kill a lion, and their height gives them an excellent early view of approaching predators.

Conservation

Giraffe numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades, a decline some call a 'silent extinction'. Habitat loss, poaching, and civil unrest across their range have driven the species to Vulnerable, with some subspecies critically threatened. Protected reserves and anti-poaching work are central to their recovery.

Adaptations for height

The giraffe is the tallest land animal, reaching up to 5.5 m (18 ft). Despite its length, its neck contains the same seven vertebrae found in most mammals. A powerful heart and specialized blood vessels manage the enormous blood pressure needed to pump blood all the way up to the brain.

Behavior and feeding

Giraffes browse mainly on acacia leaves, using a prehensile tongue up to 45 cm long to strip foliage past the thorns. Males establish dominance by necking, swinging their heads and necks against rivals. Giraffes need very little sleep, sometimes only a few minutes at a time.

Did you know? Giraffe facts

• The giraffe is the tallest living animal, with males reaching up to 5.5 m.
• A giraffe's neck has just seven vertebrae — the same number as a human.
• Special blood-pressure control stops a giraffe fainting when it raises its head.
• Giraffes sleep very little, sometimes only around 30 minutes a day.
• Each giraffe's coat pattern is unique, like a fingerprint.
• Males fight by swinging their necks and heads in bouts called 'necking'.

Diet & feeding

Giraffes are browsers feeding mainly on the leaves, shoots, and flowers of acacia and other trees, using a long tongue and lips to handle thorns; they can go long periods without drinking.

Adaptations

• A powerful heart and tight leg skin manage the extreme blood pressure of a long neck. (Estes 1991)
• A 45-cm prehensile tongue strips leaves from thorny acacia branches.
• Long legs and neck give access to high foliage other browsers cannot reach.
• Patterned coat breaks up the outline among dappled trees.

Behaviour & ecology

• Giraffes live in loose, fluid herds without strong long-term bonds. (Estes 1991)
• Males establish dominance through 'necking' contests.
• They spend much of the day browsing high foliage, beyond competitors' reach.
• Calves are vulnerable early on and gather in informal nursery groups.

Communication

• Giraffes use infrasonic sounds, plus snorts and grunts, alongside vision.
• Their height gives excellent long-distance visual awareness of threats.
• Posture and 'necking' displays settle dominance between males.

Habitat & range

Giraffes range across savannas, grasslands, and open woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, favouring areas with scattered acacia and other browse trees.

Ecological role

As the tallest browser, the giraffe shapes the structure of acacia woodland, disperses seeds, and opens feeding niches unavailable to shorter herbivores.

Conservation status of the Giraffe

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the Giraffe:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Vulnerable) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Giraffa camelopardalis.

• Muller, Z. et al. (2018). Giraffa camelopardalis. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

  Status (Vulnerable) and decline.

• Estes, R. D. (1991). The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. University of California Press.

  Behaviour and ecology.

• Animal Diversity Web — Giraffa camelopardalis. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.