GIRAFFE Giraffa camelopardalis Distribution They can be found in Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.
Diet They eat fruit, flowers, shoots, young thorns, twigs and will graze when the grass is fresh.
Habitat They can be found in semi arid regions, open woodland but not in thick forest type vegetation.
Habits They can move around in groups or by themselves but are very loosely attached to each other.
In a large group you might only have one or two animals visible.
They will be able to see each other over a wide distance.
Bulls do establish a dominance structure amongst each other.
Other animals may move around with giraffe using them as an early warning device for predators.
They are usually silent animals.
The bones on the skull have air filled gaps which are probably for absorbing the shock from fighting.
The mouth and tongue are extremely tough.
Breeding Females will give birth to one young after a gestation of 14-15 months.
They are the only bovid with a gestation longer than one year.
Predators Lions prey on the adults but the young are taken by
Hyena, Leopard,
Cheetah and crocodile.
They are at their most vulnerable when they are drinking.
