Giraffe is native to Africa and belongs to the Giraffidae family. In addition to their characteristic long neck and striking fur, they are the tallest land mammal that exists.
Do you know how tall a giraffe is?
Keep reading to find out the answer to this interesting question.
Characteristics of Giraffes
Giraffes are distinguished by their large size. Almost all parts of their body are very long. Their neck can measure up to 2 meters in length.
Their fur has spots of orange-brown color and also other areas of lighter hair, white or beige, which serves as camouflage.
Their prehensile tongue, about 50 cm long, is used for feeding on leaves from trees and for grooming.
An adult giraffe can measure from 4.80 to 5.50 meters in height, and in some cases, reach up to almost 6 meters.
Generally, they weigh from 750 to 1,600 kg. Males are slightly larger than females.
How does giraffe species relate to their height?
The height of giraffes varies a few centimeters depending on their species and subspecies. There are 4 species of giraffes. Let's see which ones and what subspecies they include:
Giraffa camelopardalis
These are the tallest giraffes, reaching up to 5.8 meters in height.
- Nubian giraffe: inhabits Sudan.
- Kordofan giraffe: found in northern Cameroon, Central African Republic, and southern Chad, and is one of the smallest of this species, measuring around 5 meters in height.
- West African giraffe: also known as the Nigerian giraffe. Inhabits between Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
- Rothschild's giraffe: are the tallest of this species, can reach almost 6 meters in height and inhabit protected areas in Uganda and Kenya.
The species detailed below have an average height of 5.5 meters.
Giraffa reticulata
- Reticulated giraffe: is native to Somalia, southern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya. Their young can measure up to 2 meters at birth.
Giraffa tippelskirchi
- Masai giraffe: also known as Kilimanjaro giraffe, and lives mainly in Kenya and Tanzania. It measures about 5.5 meters in height.
- Zambian giraffe: found in eastern Zambia. It is often called the Rhodesian giraffe or Thornicroft's giraffe.
Giraffa giraffa
- Southern giraffe: lives in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and southern Mozambique.
- Angolan giraffe: also known as the smoky giraffe, inhabits Angola and Zambia and some parts of Botswana and Namibia.
Some interesting facts about giraffe height
- Giraffe calves can measure 1.80 meters and weigh 60 to 80 kilograms at birth. Almost like an adult human!
- The tallest recorded giraffe height so far is 5.79 meters and was named George. You can discover George here.
