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Imagine an animal with long, lanky legs, an equally lanky neck and a compact, squat body. You might expect such a creature to be a gangly, awkward mover, unable to coordinate itself very well. When it comes to the tallest of earth's animals, the giraffe, however, nothing could be further from the truth. It's movements are graceful and flowing. Although the adult male can weigh up to 1,300 kilograms, it is an agile and surefooted mover, with the ability to achieve speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.
The giraffe is native to Africa, where it can still be found in large number in the widespread, small rocky hills on the open plains. It has large, dark eyes which are topped by long, delicately curled eyelashes. It has long, narrow ears and it's head is topped off by two short velvety horns. Of course the most outstanding physical feature of the giraffe is it' s elongated neck. This allows it to reach food sources well beyond the reach of all other animals, except perhaps the elephant. It, therefore, feeds on the upper branches of most trees, but is especially fond of the acacia leaves. It has a uniquely designed prehensile upper lip and a flexible tongue that allows it to gently pull the leaves off branches that are studded with barbs and needle sharp thorns. In this way the giraffe can consume up to 34 kilograms of food each day.
As well as being extremely long, the giraffe's neck is amazingly flexible. It is able to manoeuvre itself into all manner of contortions to get at it's food high, up in the upper reaches of the trees. In recent times, scientists were surprised to learn that the incredibly long neck of the giraffe actually contains the same number of vertebrae as most other mammals, including humans - that being seven. The vertebrae of the giraffe, however, are uniquely designed in a ball and socket joint which provides for it's amazing flexibility.
Although the giraffe gets a great deal of moisture from the leaves of trees, it must also drink water and for this it must reach down to the ground. This allows the creature to display itself in another graceful display. Slowly spreading it's front legs apart and then bending both knees it easily reaches down to take a drink, stretching it's neck to full extension.
The giraffe lives as part of the herd and can be seen in groups ranging from two up to fifty. It's only real predator in the wild is the lion, who sees it as a rich source of meat. It is man, however, who has proved the biggest fear to the giraffe. This most fearful of marauders seeks out the giraffe for it's meat, it's hide and it's long black tail hairs. As a result of this the giraffe is becoming far less abundant in the wild and is now only safe within the confines of game parks and sanctuaries, where they are protected. Many of us, however, will only see this beautiful animal as it pokes it head out of a zoo enclosure. In that case, we will fail to appreciate the true grace and skill of the giraffe as it glides across the African bush.
