Giraffe tongue how long

Giraffe Facts Some of your most frequently asked questions answered. What colour is it? Giraffe use their 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.

Programme Updates They made it! April 7, Programme Updates Where do giraffe move? Help us save giraffe in Africa We promise not to clutter your inbox. Even the giraffe's tongue is long! The inch tongue helps them pluck tasty morsels from branches. Giraffes eat most of the time and, like cows, regurgitate food and chew it as cud. A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of leaves each week and must travel miles to find enough food.

The giraffe's height also helps it to keep a sharp lookout for predators across the wide expanse of the African savanna. The giraffe's stature can be a disadvantage as well—it is difficult and dangerous for a giraffe to drink at a water hole. To do so they must spread their legs and bend down in an awkward position that makes them vulnerable to predators like Africa's big cats. Giraffes only need to drink once every several days; they get most of their water from the luscious plants they eat.

Female giraffes give birth standing up. Their young endure a rather rude welcome into the world by falling more than 5 feet to the ground at birth. These infants can stand in half an hour and run with their mothers an incredible ten hours after birth. Giraffes have beautiful spotted coats.

While no two individuals have exactly the same pattern, giraffes from the same area appear similar. Up until recently, the consensus has been there is only one species of giraffe with multiple subspecies. In , some scientists released a study that claims genetic differences among giraffe populations indicate the existence of four distinct giraffe species.

All rights reserved. How many vertebrae are in that long neck? A truly a unique species, giraffes are found only in sub-Saharan Africa and can reach unbelievable heights. Learn surprising giraffe facts, such as why they need such enormous hearts and how they get by on less than thirty minutes of sleep each day. A reticulated giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata and a Rothschild's giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi , two giraffe subspecies, photographed at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Salina, Kansas.

Common Name: Giraffe. Nevertheless, giraffes love snacking on their acacias and mimosas , despite the spikes. This tough layer helps to protect their tongues from cuts and scrapes while they graze. But their tongues have yet another trick up their sleeve, for added protection. Giraffe saliva has antiseptic properties. It coats any swallowed thorns so that they leave the giraffe without causing damage to the digestive system.

Giraffes also routinely use their tongues to clean their ears! Surely not the tastiest process. Additionally, male giraffes use their tongues to help them select a suitable mating partner. Specifically, they use them to detect whether or not a female is in heat. Evolution invents curious ways to deal with the problems faced in the natural world. From their astonishing height and long necks to their spotted coats and wonderfully strange tongues. If their tongues were any different, giraffes would be hungry , sore, and sunburnt, with ears full of wax.

Editorial Team at Africa Freak is a group of expert Africa writers and influencers. We're all about safari and celebrating wild Africa. Africa, the dark continent, one of my favorite places on earth.

Where the body of the first man was discovered, and a whole plethora of diverse creatures survive. I hope to explore it someday, from the mighty Sahara in the north to Cape Town in the south.

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