I have two huge loves in my life. One of which is for Beyonce and the other is a freakishly tall animal called the giraffe. Both hold a weird piece in my heart and make me genuinely happy. Giraffes are my favorite animal and I don’t understand how they aren’t everyone’s favorite animal! Like seriously, they are just great and beautiful. Now I am going to tell you some interesting facts that will hopefully convince you on why giraffes should be your favorite animals.
1. A giraffe’s spots are much like human fingerprints. No two individual giraffes have exactly the same pattern.
2. Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones. Female and young giraffes have tufty ossicones, while the males’ are bald on top.
3. Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period! They often achieve that in quick naps that may last only a minute or two at a time.
4. The giraffe calf can stand up and walk after about an hour and within a week, it starts to sample vegetation.
5. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth. Their legs alone are taller than many humans—about 6 feet.
6. They can run as fast as 35 miles an hour over short distances, or cruise at 10 mph over long distances.
7. A giraffe's neck is too short to reach the ground. As a result, it has to awkwardly spread its front legs or kneel to reach the ground for a drink of water.
8. Giraffes only need to drink once every few days. Most of their water comes from all the plants they eat.
9. The name Giraffe Camelopardalis means "one who walks quickly, a camel marked like a leopard."
10. Although a giraffe’s neck is about 6ft long, it contains the same number of vertebrae at a human neck.
11. Female giraffes are only ready to mate for brief periods every two weeks. The males drink the females’ urine to determine if she’s ready to mate, or if they should leave her alone.
12. Giraffes' tongues can be up to 20 inches long and are darkly colored, which is thought to help protect them during frequent sun-exposure.
13. Giraffes require over 75 pounds of food a day—and with a diet of leaves, this means they spend most of their time eating
14. Because of their unusual shape, giraffes have a highly specialized cardiovascular system that starts with an enormous heart. It's two feet long and weighs up to 25 pounds.
With having such a big heart filled with love and having those unique spots that make them stand out from others they are just the most perfect animals to love! I mean how can you not like a 16ft tall cuddly animal?!
