Giraffe

The giant of the savanna — secrets of the giraffe

Field Safari Encyclopedia

Let's discover the hidden abilities of the tallest animal in the world.

A stride as tall as a two-story building

The largest animal walking the land

• A male giraffe can stand up to 5.5m tall, as high as a two-story building.
• It's massive, weighing up to 1,700kg.
• It usually walks at a relaxed pace, but can run very fast when it senses danger.

There are actually 4 kinds of giraffes!

A new fact revealed by genetic analysis (as of 2025)

• Northern giraffe — the most critically endangered, with about 7,037 remaining.
• Reticulated giraffe — known for its polygon-shaped pattern, with about 20,901 living today.
• Masai giraffe — has leaf-shaped spots, with a stable population of about 43,926.
• Southern giraffe — the most numerous species, with about 68,837 individuals.

Walking bioengineering

Remarkable evolution to withstand extreme physical stress

• A special network of blood vessels that prevents brain hemorrhage
• A 10kg super heart that defies gravity
• G-suit legs that prevent blood from pooling

A 10kg super engine

A heart that pumps blood all the way to the head

• A giraffe's heart is a massive engine, 60cm long and weighing over 10kg.
• To push blood up against gravity to the brain, it generates blood pressure twice that of a typical animal.
• To withstand such powerful pressure, the walls of a giraffe's cardiovascular system have evolved to be very thick.

Why it doesn't faint when drinking water

A magical sponge that prevents brain hemorrhage

• Like humans, it has 7 neck bones, but each one is unusually long.
• Near the top of the neck is a sponge-like network of tiny blood vessels called the 'rete mirabile.'
• When it lowers its head, this network perfectly prevents excess blood from rushing to the brain.

A natural G-suit worn on its legs

The secret to sturdy legs that never swell

• The blood vessels in a giraffe's legs face immense downward pressure from the weight of bodily fluid.
• In a typical animal, this pressure would burst the blood vessels, but the giraffe's very tough, thick skin wraps tightly around its legs.
• This works on exactly the same principle as the "G-suits" fighter pilots wear to withstand gravitational force.

A 50cm rough tongue

A meal that isn't afraid of acacia thorns

• A giraffe's tongue can stretch out as far as 40–50cm, easily wrapping around leaves on high branches.
• It's a hearty eater, consuming over 63kg of leaves and twigs a day.
• Its tongue and lips are very thick and rough, so it can chew on the sharp thorns of acacia trees without getting hurt.

It sleeps just 2 hours a day

The mammal with the shortest sleep time

• A giraffe sleeps only about 1.9–2 hours out of every 24.
• Each nap is very short and deep (REM sleep), lasting around 5 minutes, and is split into several sessions.
• Most of this sleep happens while standing, crouched, rather than lying down on the ground.

Why doesn't it sleep more?

A sad evolution shaped by survival needs

• Predator threats — its huge size makes it an easy target for lions or leopards while lying down, and it takes a long time to get back up.
• Endless digestion — as an herbivore, it spends the whole day eating huge amounts of leaves and ruminating (chewing its cud).
• Maintaining body heat — with its large body and long neck, sleeping too long could cause its body temperature to drop, so it stays awake.

A silent conversation

A secret frequency the human ear can't hear

• Giraffes are known as quiet animals, since they don't usually make vocal calls.
• But recent research has found they communicate with each other using 'infrasound,' frequencies too low for human ears to hear.
• Especially at night, they use this secret communication to warn the herd of danger or to find a mate.