# What Do Giraffes Eat?

> Giraffes browse acacia and other tree leaves with a long tongue — they are not grazers. Never feed them.

- **Species:** Giraffe (*Giraffa camelopardalis*)
- **Conservation status:** Vulnerable
- **Diet:** Herbivore
- **Habitat:** Savanna, grassland, and open woodland
- **Lifespan:** 20–25 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** 60 km/h (37 mph)
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/giraffe/what-do-giraffe-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/giraffe/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The giraffe is the tallest living animal, with adult males reaching up to 5.5 m (18 ft). Native to the savannas of Africa, giraffes use their long necks and 45 cm (18 in) tongues to browse leaves high in acacia trees. Despite the neck's length, a giraffe has just seven neck bones, the same number as humans, and typically lives around 25 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## 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.

## Help protect the Giraffe

Giraffes are Vulnerable as a species (2016) while some subspecies are Critically Endangered. A Kruger postcard is not West Africa. WARN does not run giraffe centres.

[Donate to habitat protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/giraffe/what-do-giraffe-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.