13 Facts About The Secret Lives Of Giraffes

Giraffes! They’re tall, they’re awesome, but they’re at risk! To support the first ever World Giraffe Day on June 21, Taronga’s assembled these weird and wonderful facts about giraffes.

1. Giraffes get most of their water from their food so can go without water for weeks or even months

2. Despite its long length, a Giraffe’s neck has 7 vertebrae, the same as humans

3. Male giraffes can tell whether a female giraffe is in season by the tasting the female’s urine

4. A calf is two metres tall at birth and learns to stand within an hour

5. Giraffes have the largest eyes of any land mammal and can see up to 2km away

6. A giraffe’s spots are much like human fingerprints as no two individual giraffes have exactly the same pattern

7. The name, ‘Giraffe’ is believed to have originally come from the Arab word, ‘zarafa’, which means ‘fast walker’

8. Giraffe’s have enough strength in their legs to break a lion’s neck with one kick

9. Giraffes only sleep 4.5 hours a day and they mainly rest whilst standing

10. A giraffe’s hooves can be the same size as a human head

11. A Giraffe’s ‘horns’ are actually ossicones: ossified cartilage that fuses to the skull in later life

12. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation estimates the total number of giraffes in Africa has fallen from over 140,000 in 1999 to less than 80,000 today

13. Taronga Zoo is joining efforts to support World Giraffe Day on 21 June

You can help by buying the Beads for Wildlife at Taronga’s gift stores or by becoming a Zoo Parent and adopting a giraffe at Taronga Zoo or Taronga Western Plains Zoo today.