Georgia Jones, age 8, of .Daytona Beach, Fla., for her 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 per hour.

In order to bend down and drink, a giraffe must spread his forelegs far apart and then lower his head to the water. Instead of kneeling, the animal will bend his forelegs only 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 really make the difference in height, and so does the neck. 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 while remaining 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 of the same region in Africa that attack adult giraffes. This area is south of the Sahara, in grasslands called savannas. Leopards and wild dogs can sometimes kill young giraffes.

An adult giraffe will defend himself against lions by kicking with his feet. And matched this way, the giraffe almost always wins. However, if the giraffe is lying down, the lion finds it easier to spring onto his back from ambush.

Giraffes eat leaves, twigs and fruit.

Like the cow, a giraffe chews 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 difficult 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.