Range: Uganda (some sources also quote West Kenya).
Habitat: African Savanna (grasslands and open woodlands).
Description: Each individual has a unique spot pattern; color varies by individual but darkens with age; Baringo spot patterns differ relative to other subspecies. ('Giraffe' comes from the Arabic word "zarafah" meaning 'the one who walks swiftly').
Adaptations/Habitat: The giraffe is the world's tallest land mammal. Its long neck lets it feed on vegetation that other herbivores cannot reach. They live in groups but do not form permanent herds. Males have a social hierarchy established through ritual neck wrestling. They will defend themselves by striking out with forelegs. Their horns are used to butt against the body of rivals in a mating rights struggle (do not butt head to head). A giraffe is is one of the few animals born with horns. They lie flat against the skull, and pop upright during the first week of life. When it drinks, the giraffe spreads its front legs far apart in order to lower its head to the water. The giraffe has extremely elastic blood vessels and special valves in the veins of its neck to control the rush of blood to its head. Without this adaptation, the increased blood pressure would cause the giraffe to lose consciousness. Giraffes are sight-oriented, but their smell and hearing are also acute. Their walk is a pace (limbs on one side of body lifted at the same time), which helps keep their legs from interfering with one another and makes for a strong gait. They strip leaves off branches with long prehensile tongue, the strongest in mammals, which is coated (along with the inside of the mouth and throat) with a heavy saliva to protect the animal from thorns.
Breeding/Growth:
Diet: Trees and shrubs of a variety of species; fond of acacia trees; varies according to season; will feed 16-20 hours per day; rumination occurs during quiet times; some sources say that you can detect the sex of a feeding giraffe from a distance by noticing their stance: males will reach as high as possible, extending their neck, head, and tongue straight up; whereas females will "hunch" over their meal, curling their head downward. It is believed that this helps eliminate food competition between the sexes.
