Christie Presley, age 9, of Monroe, La., for her question:
HOW TALL WILL A GIRAFFE GROW?
The giraffe is the tallest of all animals. An adult male will grow to be about 18 feet tall, which is about five feet taller than the African elephant, the second tallest animal on earth.
The giraffe gets its great height from its legs, which are six feet long, and a neck that may be even longer.
But while the giraffe towers over other animals, a large male will only weigh about 2,000 pounds. A male African elephant, on the other hand, may weigh six times as much.
Like most mammals, the giraffe has only seven neck vertebrae, which are greatly elongated to support its extremely long and muscular neck. Due to the great distance between the animal's heart and head, its vascular system is equipped with valves so that sufficient blood reaches the brain.
Both male and female have two or four short, blunt, skin covered horns. The long, flexible tongue which measures about 10 inches in length and long, muscular upper lip are used to rip leaves from high branches.
Giraffes have chestnut brown blotches against a buff background, markings that easily blend with the dappled shadows of tree branches. As giraffes age, their color grows a darker brown. Each animal has a unique set of markings.
Giraffes have a keen sense of smell and hearing and an outstanding sense of sight, which due to their height makes them the most vigilant of the African big game species. They congregate in loosely organized herds of 12 to 15 members, with individuals often joining and leaving again. Each herd is led by an adult bull and consists of cows, calves and sexually immature males. The females of the herd are the most alert to danger.
Once hunted heavily for their thick, leathery skins, giraffes are now protected.
Giraffes gallop with the hind feet reaching in front of the forefeet and the neck swinging widely, giving the appearance of slow motion, although they can actually reach speeds of about 30 miles per hour.
When walking they pace, moving the two feet of one side forward simultaneously.
Unlike many grass eating herbivores of Africa, giraffes do not migrate during dry seasons, because they get their food and most of their moisture from leaves. They can go for over a month without drinking, and the few times they do drink, they must spread their long forelegs widely to reach the water. For this reason they rarely graze grass.
A giraffe will usually sleep in a standing position.
Giraffes protect themselves by kicking with their large, heavy hooves. Lions are their chief predators in the wilds.