Giraffes are social animals, but not highly so, as they do not occur in large herds. The horns are smaller than, but anatomically comparable to, the antlers of deer, except those of the giraffe are never shed and are always covered by skin. The horns of giraffes are two to five, permanent, knobby outgrowths on the forehead or top of the head, covered by skin. Their ears are short, but quite mobile, and both hearing and vision are acute. Giraffes have large eyes, with very long eyelashes. The head has a rather elongated profile, with a long, thin upper lip, which is prehensile and used along with the long, black, mobile tongue to dextrously grasp and tear foliage while the animal is feeding. The head of giraffes is relatively small, at least in comparison with the large body size of these animals. Today, taxonomists recognize only one species of giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis.
However, further study has demonstrated that these animals are fully interfertile, and their differences are not sufficiently great to warrant their designation as full species. These were the relatively widespread giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis) and the reticulated giraffe ( G. Formerly, two different species of giraffes were recognized on the basis of distinctive differences in the patterns of their pelage and their non-overlapping ranges. The basic color is brownish, with a network of white lines breaking up the solid profile. The pelage of giraffes is highly variable, and several geographic races have been named on the basis of their colors and especially their patterns. Large male giraffes can weigh as much as 1,650 lb (750 kg). Females are somewhat shorter, by about 3 ft (1 m). The largest male giraffes can attain a height of 19 ft (6 m). To drink, giraffes must stoop awkwardly to reach the water. Giraffes can run quite quickly, using a rather stiff, ambling gait because of their long legs. Giraffes have a rather long tail, which ends in a dark tassel.
Hunched appearance, with a steeply sloping back. The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers, Inc.
These large muscles are used to keep the heavy neck erect, and they give the animal a ratherĪn adult male okapi grazing. The fore legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, but the profile of giraffes is also influenced by the extreme development of musculature on their shoulders and base of the neck.