From Baby Giraffes to Gentle Giants!
Giraffes
When you look at a giraffe, do you pause in awe to observe their print? Did you know that it's called a coat, and no two giraffe coats are the same?
Whilst their patterns never change in design, they do darken with age... speaking of, the dark areas function as a thermoregulation system.
Imagine it's summer, you're enjoying the sun, but after a few moments, you hear some buzzing.. the next thing you know there's a couple mosquitoes on opposite walls and there's a few flies hovering over your fruit plate! You rush over to find your insect repellent lotion and mumble about the bothersome moment. Now, giraffes are pretty amazing because their skin repels insects and parasites as a result of a characteristic smell. Imagine that.. you're naturally saved from unwanted contact with flying insects. Lucky...
Towers! But not in height... although...
So, herds of giraffe are called towers, and you'll often find them in groups because they're social creatures, much like bees. Just bigger, haha. There aren't normally more than 15 giraffes in a tower, and they're generally led by an adult male. As for their actual height, did you know the males can grow up to 5.5 metres? That's taller than 3 adult humans, which, guess what: makes them the tallest living land animals!
We don't call them gentle giants for nothing! If that's not cute enough, baby giraffes are not only called calves as well, but are also born at a general height of almost 2 metres!
Did you know they're able to stand and walk after an hour of being born? Imagine it waddling around in those first few steps...
Now, their long necks:
- help reach their favourite food: the acacia tree &
- help lookout for predators (paired with their EPIC eyesight)
- can measure up to 6.5 feet
- are each formed by 7 cervical vertebrae, similarly to other mammals (including humans), but they're different because the distance between each vertebrae in a giraffe's neck can reach almost 11 inches!
Each vertebrae has joints, giving them flexibility - that's what helps a giraffe bend down to drink water! Equally, giraffes have amazingly robust shoulders so that they can support their large neck, and they have a variety of muscles, which anchor them together so that their shoulders aren't fully strained. Nature works in amazing ways...
Giraffe necks aren't their only long asset!
Did you know a giraffe's tongue can grow up to 20 inches?
Not to mention they're blueish-purple! It's used to hold their food - which is why you'll sometimes see it curl up their food like an ice cream scoop! It also helps to clean their nose... that's actually quite adorable when you think about dogs having a similar characteristic. Another thing their tongue is useful for is reaching higher sources of food in trees and clearing the bugs off their faces.
Gentle Giants
Giraffes may be large creatures but they have very friendly and peaceful faces. Big, brown eyes and long lashes, similarly to camels, protect them from sun glares and sand.
Giraffes can down 45kg of leaves A DAY. It means they only drink water once every few days because they get enough hydration from meals. Though, since they eat lots of plants, thick lips and a series of papillae protect the front of their faces (lips, tongue, and mouth interior) from the dangerous plant and tree thorns, like those on the Acacia tree.
Save the Giraffes!
So Why Are Giraffes Endangered?
Put simply, we weren't paying their habitat any attention.
Giraffes are already extinct in 7 African countries and their population has reduced by 30% overall since the 80s, with an astounding 95% in some traditionally giraffe-populated areas.
This easily makes them an endangered animal. Since they're found in countries with high human fertility rates, giraffes also suffer from habitat loss.
But YOU Can Save Them!
Soon, we'll be launching our Save the Giraffe Socks, which will donate 10% of profits on every order to The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, who operates in 16 African countries.
Their work affects 42 MILLION acres of land, helping protect and support all four species of giraffe.
As soon as our colorful giraffe socks arrive, we can turn them around to you! Sign up here to be the first to know when they're in! Your purchases help fund all the GCF's conservation initiatives. One day, we'll be able to say that Giraffes are no longer critically endangered!