Masai Giraffe

• Range: Africa, south of the Sahara
  
• Habitat: Open savanna and wooded grasslands
  
• Description: The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. Adult Masai Giraffes can grow as tall as 15-19 feet high and can weigh 1,200 -4,200 pounds. The coat is buff colored with chestnut brown patches. The under-parts of a giraffe are light and unspotted. The greatly elongated neck has only seven bones. Both sexes have 2 to 4 blunt horn-like projections, which are covered with skin. The giraffe has a long, flexible black tongue, which is capable of extending up to 20 inches. This is used for plucking leaves.
  
• Diet: Giraffes can be very picky eaters. They mainly eat leaves and twigs of the acacia tree, along with shoots, myrrh, seedpods, and fruits.
  
• Behavior: Giraffes are social animals with herd sizes usually around ten members. There is no leader, and giraffes are free to leave and join herds. They are usually silent but are capable of making coughs, grunts, snorts and bellows. They are usually shy and timid. Giraffes spend half their time feeding and the remainder of the time is used either for finding food or slowly digesting what they have eaten. Giraffes have two speeds, a slow walk or a gallop. When galloping, they can reach speeds of up to 35 mph. Giraffes tend to doze off during the day, often while standing and usually lie down only at night.
  
• Breeding: A single calf is born after a gestation period of 15 months, which is one of the longest in the animal world. The mother stands during birth and the calf drops about 6 feet to the ground. Newborn giraffes are approximately 6 feet tall and are usually standing and feeding on the mother’s milk within 20 minutes after birth.
  
• Location: The Zoo’s giraffes are located in the African Plains area, and often congregate near the Treetops overlook.