A Few Observations about Giraffes

I went to the Denver Zoo the other night to see the Zoo Lights. It. Was. Cold. Naturally, then, the animals in heated buildings were my favorites. I really made sure to look like I was enjoying myself (and I was—animals are cool) to buy a little extra time for my toes to thaw. Seriously, I could feel the blood flowing through my veins in little ice chunks.

Well, of course, the giraffes were in an enclosed building, being from Africa and all. We spent some time in their "habitat," and I made a few observations.

Giraffes have weird deer droppings. My sister and I thought this was strange as they look somewhat like a horse or cow. Well, a quick trip to Wikipedia informed me that while giraffes are related to both cattle and deer, they are in their own family, the Giraffae, with their only first cousins, the Okapi. That will need an entry of its own.

Giraffes have two "toes" like cattle and deer, too. That also led me to believe that they would have larger droppings.

I then wondered if giraffes have four stomachs like cattle and deer. Another quick check with Wiki informed me that giraffes are in fact ruminants like their relatives, cattle, deer, camels, and alpaca.

I was interested in the giraffe's manner of walking. They actually use both legs on the same side at the same time. Click here to see what I mean. Once again, Wikipidia told me why this is. Giraffe's forelegs are longer than their hind legs.

Some interesting facts about giraffes:

• Giraffe tongues average about 18 inches in length! Compare that to the four-inch human tongue.
• Giraffes only need ten minutes to two hours of sleep in every twenty-four-hour cycle. No wonder they were so active when we visited them at 8:30 at night!
• Giraffes are pregnant for 400–460 days. That's a long time, especially when your baby is six feet tall when it's born!

Thank you, Wikipedia!