### animal | vertebrate | mammal | ungulate:

Giraffe
* All giraffes are one species containing nine subspecies distinguished only by spot patterns.
* Every giraffe has a unique spot pattern
  - two hair-covered horns called ossicones
* Most giraffes are bisexual.
* Most giraffes develop necks
  - vertebrae
* Most giraffes eat acacias
  - bushes
  - evergreen leaves
  - flowers
  - trees
  - get water
  - give birth to giraffes
* Most giraffes have a tan, white or yellow coat that is spotted with brown, square shapes
  - arteries
  - characteristics
  - coat patterns
  - dark coats
* Most giraffes have different coat patterns
  - excellent eyesights
  - lips
  - long necks
  - neck bones
  - physical characteristics
  - short necks
  - similar characteristics
  - thick lips
  - tongues
* Most giraffes have unique coat patterns
  - live either in East Africa or in Angola and Zambia in southwestern Africa
* Most giraffes live in grassland
  - groups
  - woodlands
  - make saliva
  - produce offspring
  - reach food
* Most giraffes require food
* Some giraffes are killed by lions
  - die from dehydration
  - excrete waste
  - give birth to calves
* Some giraffes have blood vessels
  - branches
  - dark patches
  - diversity
  - elastic blood vessels
  - genetic mutation
  - heat
  - high pressure
  - large dark patches
  - neck vertebrae
* Some giraffes live in basins
  - congo river basins
  - dusty environments
  - look like deer
* Some giraffes occupy second trophic levels
  - require giraffes
* also eat flowers, vines and herbs
  - enjoy the leaves of mimosas and apricots
* also have a massive heart and vascular system to deliver sufficient blood to the brain
  - large hearts
  - use their long neck for reaching leaves off of trees
* are also one of the fastest animals
  - among the many wild animal species that populate the African plains
* are among the most awe-inspiring creatures on the planet
  - recognizable of all wildlife in the African savannah
  - another mammal which have horns
  - better off seeing and running away from predators than fending off attacks
  - browsers that prefer to eat new shoots and leaves of thorny acacia trees
  - capable of drink water
  - consumers
  - diurnal
  - easy to identify with their long necks, skinny legs and distinctive spotted markings
  - even-toed ungulates
  - extremely picky eaters
  - females
* are found in Africa but are becoming increasingly rare in the west
  - parts of Africa
  - zoos all over out there both large and small
  - generally the inhabitants of savannas, woodlands, and grasslands
  - great lookouts for other animals because of their height
  - gregarious, but it s the individual that is the basic social unit in giraffe society
  - herbivores and eat leaves that are out of reach of other animals
* are herbivores, meaning they eat plants rather than meat
  - which means they eat only plants
  - herbivorous
  - in the long-necked ruminants family
* are located in drawers
  - most vulnerable to predators when drinking or lying down
  - multi-cellular
  - natives of Africa where they run wild in the tall grasses of the open planes
  - one of the most fascinating and different animals on earth
  - predominantly browsers and they utilise a wide range of plants
  - rather docile creatures
  - ruminants and have a stomach with four compartments that digests the leaves they eat
  - social animals
  - taller than human babies, and human babies are taller than ants
* are the animals on earth
  - tallest amongst mammals
* are the tallest animals in the world
  - land animals
  - living mammals
* are the tallest of all land animals
  - living animals
  - standing land animals on earth
  - world's tallest living animal
  - thought to be mute
  - truly giant animals
  - unable to cough or swim
  - usually quiet animals but they can grunt or bleat
* are very calm animals and they tend to do very well with other plant eaters in the wild
  - peaceful animals
  - selective feeders and only chooses the most nutritious leaves
* breathe air
  - in oxygen and release carbon dioxide just like other mammals and humans do
* breed throughout the year.
* browse in the crowns of the trees, reaching up to a height of fifteen or more feet
  - on trees
  - upon the leaves of trees
* chew food
* consume foliage.
* defend themselves against predators by kicking with either the fore or hind feet.
* drink water if it is available but can go weeks without it
  - when it is available, and they are able to survive in areas with scarce water
* eat a variety of tree and shrub species
  - from the top of the trees, because that is all they see
  - grass and tree leaves in the wild and grass and hay at the zoo
  - mainly young leaves and shoots, primarily of the acacia and mimosa trees
  - other things besides leaves
  - plants, grass, and grain crops
  - shrubs
  - the leaves of a variety of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs
  - trees and bushes for food, and lions eat giraffes
  - twigs and leaves
  - twigs, mainly from acacia trees, but they also eat grass, shrubs and fruits
  - vegetation
* establish dominance.
* exhibit classic prey pupils.
* feed and drink during the morning and evening
* fight by charging and swinging their heads at each other as hard as they can.
* give birth standing up
* grow for ten years until they reach their maximum height.
* has-part bones
  - teeth
* have a dark-colored tongue that prevents it from becoming sunburned
  - great sense of sight
  - reputation for being silent, but calves do bleat for attention
* have a special niche in the African savanna
  - taste for thorny acacia leaves, by the way
* have a very kick
  - long neck and legs
  - colors
* have horns called ossicones
  - unlike any other mammal
  - individually distinct patterns
  - light brownish spots with yellow patches outside the spots
* have long amazed scientists with their cardiovascular system
  - legs, a sloping back and an extremely long neck
  - necks that reach to the leaves of tall trees
  - necks, which they use to browse the leaves of trees
* have no vocal chords
  - cords
  - noses
  - same patterns
  - seven bones in their neck
  - the largest eyes of all land animals
* have two horns and two or three knobs
  - strategies to minimize their chances of being attacked while sleeping
  - ways of moving, a loping walk and a gallop
* have very big hearts, which they use to pump blood up through the neck to the brain
  - little enemies, they are tall, so they can get their food from trees
  - powerful legs and they use their legs to defend themselves
  - cells
  - chests
  - cytoplasm
  - faces
  - hoofs
  - piluses
  - plasma membranes
  - vacuoles
* kick with their hooves and slam with their heads.
* like to nuzzle each other tenderly and to rub their heads and necks together.
* live alone or in loose groups.
* live in African grasslands
  - habitats where the available food varies throughout the year
  - herds in African grasslands and eat tree leaves
  - only one continent- Africa
  - open habitats, primarily wooded savannas and open woodlands
  - savannas throughout Africa
  - small groups
* live in the South African Grasslands
  - savanna grasslands
* lower heads.
  - sounds like coughs, snorts, moos, grunts, snores, bleats and whistles
* move feet.
* only eat leaves up to a certain height, then stop.
* possess bodies
  - fur
  - urine
* prefer leaves from acacia trees
  - savannas with trees
* press their necks together when they are attracted to each other.
* produce a very thick saliva, or spit, which protects the mouth from their thorny diet
* provide the stage on which oxpeckers act out their lives.
  - up among the branches for the tender leaves
* reduce the dead air space in their windpipes through tracheal stenosis.
* rest standing up and always remain alert.
* roam the savannas of Africa in loose, open herds of females and youngsters.
* ruminate day or night, with periods of sleep in between.
* seem to thrive in areas where it is very hot.
* show aspects.
* sleep less than two hours a day
  - more than most animals
* stand taller.
* swing heads.
* take short naps so that they can stay on the lookout for hungry lions.
* to drink water.
* use their extremely long legs, necks and tongues to browse on the leaves and buds.
* use their long necks to forage for leaves high up in trees out of reach of other animals
  - reach for leaves high in trees
  - spar gently, necko a necko
  - tongues to grab the vegetation they eat
  - long, thick tongues in many different ways
  - rubbery lips and very long tongue to pluck leaves
* usually inhabit savannas , grasslands , and open woodlands.
* usually sleep standing up but do lie down occasionally
* wear two to six short and blunt horns on their heads.
+ Giraffe, Appearance: Even-toed ungulates
  * Giraffes have a very long neck and legs. Their fur has a light yellowish or brownish colour with dark patches. Both male and female giraffes have small horn-like stumps on their head, which are covered with skin. They have a long black tongue, which can be up to 45 cm long
  * Giraffes are found in parts of Africa. They live on the savannah, which is the African grassland, or in light woodland. They do not live in thick forests where it is difficult to see predators, such as lions, approaching
  * Giraffes live alone or in loose groups. Young male giraffes form small groups until they become mature. Adult males live alone. When the female is close to giving birth, it leaves the group for a time to give birth to its offspring, and comes back 2-3 weeks after her baby is born
  - More Facts
  * Giraffes are the tallest animals on Earth. They have long legs and long necks. There are 7 bones in their necks, the same as ours, but much bigger. Males can grow to nearly five and a half metres tall, and females to nearly five metres tall.
  * Giraffes have horns called ossicones. These are fur-covered bumps on their skulls, unlike the horns of other animals. Giraffe skin is blotched in patterns of browns and yellows. No two giraffes have the same pattern. The different sub-species have different coat patterns