The Giraffe - facts, types, characteristics - everything about the life of #giraffe

#giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is a rather #colorful and unusual outwardly #animals belonging to the class of mammals.
Description of the giraffe, appearance, characteristics.
The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. The height (growth) of the giraffe reaches 5.5 - 6.1 meters, a third of which falls on his famous neck. The weight of a male giraffe can range from 500 kg to 1900 kg.
Giraffe tongue.
The giraffe has a rather interesting tongue: dark, almost brown in color, long and very muscular, it allows the animal to grab tree branches at a great height, protruding 40-45 cm at the same time.
With such a long tongue, giraffes can even clean their own ears.
Giraffe color.
The color of the giraffe is also worthy of attention: the pattern of spots on the skin is absolutely unique and individual, like human fingerprints, and is never repeated in two individuals.
The head of both the male and female giraffe is adorned with a pair of horns covered with fur, large eyes bordered by long eyelashes and small ears crown the elongated head of the giraffe.
Giraffe legs.
Despite their thin legs in relation to their overall size, these mammals run excellently (the speed of a giraffe is 60 km / h) and jump well, overcoming barriers more than 1.5 meters high. True, the tallest animal in the world can actively move only on a solid surface - the soil is marshy and the giraffe avoids rivers.
How do giraffes sleep?
The giraffe bends its long legs under itself, pulling one of them to the side, and then, bending into a ball, puts its head on its croup. Giraffes can also sleep standing up. Sleep does not last long: during the night the giraffe now and then rises to its feet to drink or eat something.
A mammal does not need many hours of sleep - a giraffe needs only 10 minutes to 2 hours of sleep per day. giraffe species In the giraffe family, only 1 species of giraffes is distinguished, the remaining 5 species are considered extinct.
The classification of giraffes is carried out mainly depending on the place of residence of the animal and the pattern of its color.
Specialists have 9 subspecies (varieties) of giraffes:
Nubian giraffe lives in eastern Sudan and western Ethiopia.
It has distinctive chestnut spots in color, faceted with rich white lines, males are also distinguished by an impressive bone outgrowth on the frontal part of the skull;
Ugandan Giraffe (Rothschild) lives in Uganda.
Known in the world for the beauty of large brown spots, separated by wide white stripes;
Reticulated giraffe (Somali) lives in northern Kenya and southern Somalia. A network of juicy medium-sized brown-red spots with sharp edges and thin white lines distinguishes this subspecies from a number of congeners; females often lack a growth on the skull;
Angolan giraffe lives in Namibia and Botswana.
Brown large spots with elongated accent corners give the color of the animal extraordinary attractiveness;
Giraffe Kordofan lives in the west of Sudan and the Central African Republic.
It is notable for uneven spots, the density of which increases below the hocks;
Masai giraffe lives in southern Kenya and Tanzania.
Most of the legs are decorated with spots, the shape of which is more like a star;
South African giraffe lives in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. The golden hide is adorned with dark rounded spots that rarely reach the very hooves;
Thornycroft's giraffe lives in Zambia.
On a lighter skin there are jagged dark spots of medium size.
West African giraffe is under threat of extinction. In 2007, the number of individuals was only 175 animals. Habitat - Chad.
Where does the giraffe live?
The giraffe lives in the savannas of sunny Africa; the giraffe does not live on other continents.The main dish for the giraffe is juicy acacia, less often giraffes eat mimosa and sweet shoots of wild apricot. Every day he consumes about 30 kg of food and spends 16-20 hours a day eating. Eating succulent leaves, the giraffe can do without water for a long time. When a giraffe drinks, it spreads its front legs wide to lower its head towards the water.
A giraffe can drink up to 38 liters of water at one time.
Giraffe breeding
Giraffes usually live alone or in small herds, often nesting next to antelopes or zebras for greater security. Polygamy is a hallmark of giraffes: adult males scrupulously guard their spotted harem from outside encroachment, but in turn mate with many females with pleasure.
The breeding season is considered to be the rainy season in Africa, from July to September. Pregnancy of the female lasts 14-15 months. A timely conceived baby giraffe appears in dry, stable weather, which allows him to calmly get on his feet. Birth occurs while standing, so the baby giraffe falls from a height of two meters.