A giraffe is a very tall animal. They can be found in the wild in Africa. Many zoos have giraffes, too. When we think of or picture a giraffe, we see the long, long neck. They are extremely tall. It would take at about 3 humans to be as tall as a giraffe. By being this tall, they can keep a close eye out for any animals that could hurt them, like hyenas or lions.
They weigh over 2 thousand pounds and can run about 35 miles an hour.
A funny thing is that the male is called a bull and the female is called a cow.
Giraffes are plant eating animals. They eat leaves and tiny branches called twigs. Giraffes do not drink much water. The reason for this is that they get most of their water from the leaves they eat. 75% of the time, giraffes are eating or roaming around. They even sleep standing up.
They like to stay together in large groups. There can be nearly 15 or so in a group. In the wild, they live to be around 25 years old, but in the zoos, they can live to be nearly 40.
