How would you describe a giraffe for kids?
Giraffes are the tallest living four-footed animals. They have spots, very long legs, and long necks. Giraffes are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants, and they use their long necks and tongues to reach their favorite foods.
What are facts about giraffes?
The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world. Even newborn giraffe are taller than most humans. Female giraffe give birth standing up. Their young fall about 2 m to the ground and can stand up within an hour of birth.
What do giraffes eat kid facts?
Giraffes spend most of their time eating and can guzzle up to 45kg of leaves and twigs a day! They also snack on fruit and grass. Thanks to their long necks and legs, giraffes can reach tasty treats like fresh green leaves in tall trees.
How do giraffe drink water?
To start, the giraffe sinks its puckered lips into the water and then pulls back its jaw, allowing water to rush into the mouth while keeping the epiglottis “valve” closed. Next, the giraffe clenches its lips, relaxes the epiglottis, and pumps its jaw so that the captured water is pushed into the esophagus.
What are 3 facts about giraffes?
11 Facts About Giraffes
- Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth.
- They can run as fast as 35 miles an hour over short distances, or cruise at 10 mph over longer distances.
- A giraffe’s neck is too short to reach the ground.
- Giraffes only need to drink once every few days.
What do giraffes eat facts?
Giraffe are predominantly browsers and mainly eat leaves and buds on trees and shrubs. They will also eat herbs, climbers and vines, and prefer flowers and fruit when in season. The proportion of grass in their diet is very low.
Do giraffe have gills?
Giraffes Have More Than One Heart Two lesser hearts pump blood to the gills where waste is discarded, and oxygen is received.
Do giraffes sleep?
Land Mammals and Sleep The average giraffe sleeps for 4.6 hours per day5. For the most part, giraffes tend to sleep during the night, although they do get in some quick naps throughout the day. Giraffes can sleep standing up as well as lying down, and their sleep cycles are quite short, lasting 35 minutes or shorter.
Do giraffes have blue tongues?
Giraffe use their 45-50 cm long prehensile tongue and the roof of their mouths in order to feed on a range of different plants and shoots, most notably from Senegalia and Vachellia (formerly Acacia) species. The colour of the tongue is best described as black, blue or purple with a pink base/back.
What are the qualities of a giraffe?
Giraffes have long legs and necks, long, tough, prehensile tongues, and leathery mouths for food gathering. Their coloration is protective. They are tall with good eyesight for watchfulness. Giraffes have high blood pressure (240/160) for pumping blood to the brain.
What are some facts about giraffe anatomy?
Giraffe Physical Characteristics Ossicones. The strange protuberances that giraffes have on the head similar to horns are called “ossicones” to differentiate them from the antlers of other animals since they are different from Head. The head of a giraffe is small and quite long with a rounded mouth at the end of it. Face and tongue. Neck. Stomach.
What are the physical characteristics of a giraffe?
Physical Characteristics. Giraffes stand up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) to the top of the head and weigh 460 to 4,250 pounds (210 to 1,930 kilograms). When compared to the long neck (up to 8 feet, or 2.4 meters), the body is short. Legs are long and end in hooves the size of dinner plates.
What do giraffes look like?
Giraffes tower over Africa’s plains. These tall animals are identified by their long necks, equally long and spindly legs, and spotted coats. Most giraffes have a tan, white or yellow coats that are spotted with brown, square shapes.