Ray Burk, age 9, of Billings, Mont., for his question:
HOW FAST CAN A GIRAFFE RUN?
A giraffe has a strange way of walking. First, it moves both legs on one side, and then it moves both legs on the other side. This movement is called pacing.
When it comes to running, the giraffe uses a different leg movement. In a gallop, first both hind legs swing out together and land in front of the front feet. Then both front feet are thrown forward. In a full gallop, a giraffe can travel 30 miles an hour.
To bend drink, a giraffe must spread his forelegs far apart and lower his head to the water. Instead of kneeling, the animal will bend his forelegs slightly.
An adult male giraffe is the tallest of all animals. He towers almost 18 feet into the air and is a full five feet taller than the African elephant, the second tallest animal.
The legs and neck make the difference. A giraffe's legs can be six feet long and his neck may be even longer.
A male giraffe may weigh up to 2,000 pounds. An elephant, however, may weigh six times as much.
After a fast run, the giraffe will definitely want to rest. Usually he sleeps in a standing position. But sometimes he will lie down. When lying, he holds his neck upright or rests it on a hip or on a low tree limb.
Lions are the only animals that attack adult giraffes, but leopards and wild dogs can sometimes kill young giraffes.
An adult giraffe will defend itself against lions by kicking. And matched this way, the giraffe almost always wins. However, if the giraffe is caught lying down, a lion may spring onto its back from ambush and kill it.
Giraffes are vegetarians, which means they don't include meat in their diet. They eat leaves, twigs and fruit.
Like cows, giraffes chew a cud, which is food that has been swallowed but is returned to the mouth for a second chewing.
A giraffe's coat is made up of a patchlike pattern of brownish yellow to chestnut brown. The color pattern makes the animal hard to see when it is standing in the shade of trees.
A giraffe can close its nostrils completely to keep out sand and dust.
It uses its long upper lip and its tongue, which is 17 inches long, to gather food from tree branches.
Giraffes have good sight and hearing.
Although a giraffe can utter a variety of soft sounds, the animal will seldom use its voice. Despite the length of its neck, the giraffe has only seven neck bones the same number that man and most other mammals have.