Natures Gentle Giant: The Giraffe

Written by: Paige Leal

One animal that stands out is a giraffe, meaning literally and figuratively. With their incredibly long necks, towering legs, and spotted coats, they are unlike any other animal on Earth. Giraffes are the tallest land mammals in the world, growing up to about 18 feet tall, allowing them to reach leaves that most other animals could neber do. Their unusual appearance may seem almost unbelievable, but every part of a giraffe's body helps it survive in the wild.

Giraffes live throughout parts of Africa, where they spend much of their day eating leaves, flowers, and small branches from tall trees. One of their favorite foods comes from acacia trees. Acacia trees are covered with long, sharp thorns. Luckily, giraffes have developed several clever adaptations that make eating these prickly plants much easier.

One of the giraffe's most surprising features is its tongue. A giraffe's tongue can grow up to about 20 inches long, making it long enough to wrap around branches and pull leaves from between sharp thorns. Have you ever noticed the color of a giraffe's tongue as well? Instead of being pink like a human tongue, a giraffe's tongue is dark purple, bluish-purple, or almost black. Scientists believe this dark coloring helps protect the tongue from sunburn. Since giraffes spend hours every day feeding with their tongues exposed to the hot African sun, the extra pigment acts like natural sun protection.

Although their necks are extremely long, giraffes actually have the same number of neck bones as humans, just seven. The difference is that each bone is much longer than ours. Their long necks allow them to reach food high in the trees while avoiding competition with many other plant-eating animals. Their powerful legs are just as impressive. A single kick from a giraffe can be strong enough to defend against predators such as lions. 

Every giraffe also has its own unique pattern of spots, much like a human fingerprint. No two giraffes have exactly the same markings. These patterns help scientists identify individual giraffes while studying them in the wild.

Giraffes may look calm and graceful, but they are perfectly designed for life on the African savanna. From their towering height to their remarkable purple tongues, every feature helps them survive in their environment. The more that is learned about giraffes, the more impressive they get.