Girfacts> Stuff

I was surfing around on the interweb and I stumbled upon these “Girfacts”. Good times!
-Larry
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Girfacts!- Fun facts about the animal that stand out in a crowd

Even though giraffes are often seen together in groups, they do not form the complex social groups of many plains species. Theirs are loose associations, constantly changing in make-up. A group of giraffes is called a “caboodle”

The giraffe has the same number of vertebrae (seven) in its neck that most other mammals have. They are just really big and elongated.

When giraffes were first brought to Rome in 46 B.C., they were thought to be a cross between a camel and a leopard. Although we've long since learned the giraffe is not a combination of these animals, the scientific name camelopardalis, which means "the fast-walking camel-leopard" stuck.

The word "giraffe" comes from the Arab word xirapha, which means "really tall animal".

Giraffes enjoy watching television

The giraffes life span is 20 to 25 years

The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal in the world. One giraffe heart could pump the blood for 108 human babies!

The giraffe's heart weighs 24 pounds.
The giraffe has the largest soul of any animal.

An adult giraffe's tongue is 18 – 27 inches long

Males and females tend to eat from different parts of a tree to ensure that the sexes do not compete for food.

Newborn giraffe calves begin their lives by falling 6 feet to the ground. (Authors note: My life sadly began in a similar manner, but I survived and it only made me stronger)

Every step a giraffe takes is 15 feet long

A giraffe's kick can kill a lion and propel a football the length of three football fields!

The gestational period of a giraffe is 14 to 14.5 months. It is a popular misconception that male Giraffes can become pregnant. This is simply not true.

A giraffe can drink 12 gallons in one sitting. Milk makes them kind of gassy.

Giraffes rarely lay down; they even sleep and give birth standing up.

A giraffe usually sleeps for only 1 - 12 minutes at a time. When a giraffe goes into a deep sleep it curls its neck back and rests its head on its rump. Giraffes sleep no more than 5 to 30 minutes in a 24-hour period.
The Giraffe’s predators include Lions, Hyenas, Wild Dogs, Leopards and Bears. Fortunately bears are not native to Africa. (In 1993 tragedy struck when the ill conceived “Jirafas y Osos!” enclosure opened to the public at the Parc Zoològic de Barcelona in Spain.)

Giraffes are non-territorial and sociable. They live in loose, open herds.

Giraffes feature in African cave paintings and in ancient Egyptian art and designs.

The Giraffe is considered by the Chinese to be a “rich man’s horse”

A giraffe has 3 speeds: walking, galloping and sauntering.

Giraffes are fast and can reach speeds of up to 35 mph.

Although scientists agree that there is only one species of giraffe, there are many kinds of giraffes in the world : Kordofan Giraffe, Angolan Giraffe, southern Giraffe, Nigerian Giraffe, Mexican Tequila Giraffe, Reticulated Giraffe, Masai Giraffe and Rofts Giraffe.

Giraffes are one of two animals born with horns. The other is the Orangutan, which is born with prehensile horns that fall off within six weeks of birth.

Giraffes live in the African savannah, scrub, and open acacia woodlands south of the Sahara

Like human fingerprints, each giraffe's coat is unique.
The only animal in the world taller than the giraffe is the blue whale, standing upright on its flipper.