Giraffe Itsy Bitsies 8cm - Plush Toy

Physical Characteristics
Giraffes are the world's tallest mammals. A giraffe's legs alone are taller than many humans at about 6 feet long. Even the giraffe's tongue is long! The 53cm tongue helps them pluck delicious foliage from branches. Despite having a very long neck, the giraffe has the same number of vertebrae in its neck as all other mammals, they're just elongated. Average lifespan in the wild: 25 years. Size: 14 to 19 ft Weight: 1,750 to 2,800 lbs.

Habitat
Giraffes usually inhabit African savannas, grasslands, or open woodlands. However, when food is scarce they will venture into areas with denser vegetation. Typically, these unique animals roam the open grasslands in small groups of about half a dozen.

Behaviour
Giraffes can run as fast as 35 miles an hour over short distances and cruise comfortably at 10 miles an hour over longer distances. The giraffe's height also helps it to keep a sharp lookout for predators across the wide expanse of the African savanna. Giraffes sleep for no more than 5 to 30 minutes in 24 hours.

Breeding
Breeding occurs between May and August. With an average gestation of 457 days giraffes tend to give birth to just one calf at a time. It takes up to 3 years for a baby giraffe to become independent from its mother.

Diet
Maintaining a Herbivorous diet, the Giraffe eats leaves from tree branches, using it's long neck and tongue to reach the parts other animals can't. Giraffes eat most of the time and, like cows, regurgitate food and chew it as cud. A giraffe eats hundreds of pounds of leaves each week and must travel many miles to find enough food. Giraffes only need to drink once every several days; they get most of their water from the luscious plants they eat, so are often found away from major water sources.

Strange and Interesting Facts
Each giraffe has a unique coat pattern and a giraffe's age can be calculated from its spots, as the darker the spots, the older the giraffe. The very tight skin on a giraffe's lower legs acts in the same way as a Pilot's G-Suit, helping to maintain high extra vascular pressure counteracting the effect of the giraffe's extreme height on its blood pressure.