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I'm writing this article because I'm bored, and giraffes are so cool! Anyone who
knows me know they're my favourite animal.
The boring stuff:
Scientific Name - Giraffa camelopardalis
Common Name - Giraffe
Animal Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Artiodactyla
Family - Giraffidae
Genus - Camelopardalis
Species - giraffa
Giraffes are the tallest living animal. Males average about 5.3 metres (17 feet) high. The giraffe is the better known of the two members of the
giraffe family. The other member of the giraffe family is the okapi. The okapi
wasn't discovered by scientists until 'bout 1900. It's much shorter than the
giraffe, but also has a long neck, and eats leaves.
Giraffes live in herds in Savanna and open bush country. It's native to most of
Africa south of the Sahara. It mostly eats acacia (a-kay-sha) leaves. With it
being so tall, its difficult to get down to the waterhole. It bend or spreads
its forelegs apart, and it looks like they're about to fall. This brings them
close enough to the ground to get a drink.
Giraffes have keen hearing, smell and sight. Its main predator (other than us
stupid human beings) is the lion. ROAR. But a giraffe's hooves can be the size of
dinner plates, and can crush that mean old lion's skull (ouchie!).
Male giraffes fight among themselves by swinging their heads at each other. It's
pretty funny looking. Giraffes do make sounds. They either go squeak, moo, neigh,
oink, or cluck cluck. I hope you know I'm kidding about that, or you're a little
too addicted to Whyville. In truth, giraffe sounds include moans and low call notes.
Although they are still numerous in East Africa, where the giraffe is protected, giraffes
in other places (like Alaska ;P) have dwindled in numbers or have been
exterminated. Thanks to hunting by us humans. (Don't hunt the giraffe.)
Giraffe Quick Facts
-Baby giraffes are about 6 feet tall when born.
-Giraffe tongues are about 24 inches long and black.
-They have never been seen to bathe.
-They can live to be almost thirty.
-They reach deep sleep for 1-12 minutes.
Hope you had fun reading. It wasn't the most exciting article for most, but if you're
like me and have a poster of a giraffe on your wall, about 12 giraffe stuffed
animals, a giraffe background on your desktop, and an article published on an
internet newspaper about giraffes, you mighta liked it. ;-D
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