Giraffe

For other uses, see Giraffe (disambiguation).

Giraffes (genus Giraffa) are large African hoofed mammals. They are the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants on Earth. They belong to the family Giraffidae. Their closest living relative is the okapi.

For a long time, scientists thought giraffes were one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. More recently, researchers proposed splitting them into four extant species with seven subspecies. These groups can be told apart by their coat patterns. Six valid extinct species of Giraffa are known from the fossil record.

Giraffes are known for their very long necks and legs, their horn-like ossicones, and their spotted coats. They live across a wide area, from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. They usually live in savannahs and woodlands. They eat the leaves, fruits, and flowers of woody plants, mainly acacia trees. They can reach branches higher than most other ground-based herbivores can.

Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs may prey on giraffes. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their young, or in groups of unrelated adult males. They are gregarious, which means they like to be with others, and they may gather in large groups. Male giraffes set up social rankings by "necking," which means fighting by swinging their necks. Dominant males gain access to females for mating. The females alone raise the young.

Giraffes have fascinated many cultures because of their unusual appearance. They often appear in paintings, books, and cartoons. They have disappeared from many parts of their former range, but they can still be found in many national parks and game reserves. In 2016, estimates showed there were about 97,500 giraffes in the wild. In 2010, more than 1,600 giraffes lived in zoos.

Etymology

The name "giraffe" most likely began with the Arabic word zirāfah. That word came from a language in Sub-Saharan Africa, but where that language came from is not clear. Early English spellings, such as jarraf in Middle English and ziraph in early Modern English, came from the Arabic word through Spanish and Portuguese girafa. The modern English form appeared around 1600, taken from the French girafe.

"Camelopard" is an archaic English name for the giraffe. It comes from a word in Ancient Greek, kamēlopárdalis, which joins the Greek words for "camel" and "leopard". The name describes the giraffe's camel-like shape and its leopard-like coloring.

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus first classified living giraffes as one species in 1758. He gave it the binomial name Cervus camelopardalis. In 1762, Mathurin Jacques Brisson created the genus name Giraffa. During the 1900s, scientists suggested that there were two or three species. Later studies have suggested even more. A 2011 study compared giraffe body shapes in detail and used the phylogenetic species concept to describe eight species. A 2016 study also concluded that living giraffes include several species. A 2020 study found that the answer depends on the method used, with ideas ranging from two to six species. The three-species idea, which includes G. camelopardalis, G. giraffa, and G. tippelskirchi, had good support. A 2021 study using whole genome sequencing suggests four species and seven subspecies. A 2024 study of skull shape supported this idea. A 2024 study also found that giraffe populations mixed their genes more in the past than scientists had expected, through gene flow.

The cladogram below shows how the four species and seven subspecies are related, based on the 2021 genome study. The eight lineages match the eight traditional subspecies in the one-species idea. The Rothschild giraffe is included in G. camelopardalis camelopardalis.

The following table compares the different ideas about giraffe species. The description column shows the traditional nine subspecies in the one-species idea.

The first extinct giraffe species to be described was Giraffa sivalensis, which was found in India. Another extinct species, Giraffa punjabiensis, is known from Pakistan. Four more extinct African species are Giraffa gracilis, Giraffa jumae, Giraffa pygmaea and Giraffa stillei.

Evolution

Giraffes and the okapi are the only living members of the family Giraffidae in the order Artiodactyla. Giraffidae are ruminants in the group Pecora. The group also includes Antilocapridae (pronghorns), Cervidae (deer), Bovidae (cattle, antelope, goats and sheep) and Moschidae (musk deer). A 2019 genome study found that Giraffidae are a sister taxon to Antilocapridae. The two groups split apart more than 20 million years ago. Long ago, the family was much bigger, with more than 10 fossil genera. The neck began to grow longer early in the giraffe lineage. One early ancestor, Canthumeryx, looked like an antelope. Giraffokeryx, which lived on the Indian subcontinent, had a longer neck and similar ossicones. Some of its relatives, such as Sivatherium and Bramatherium, had much heavier bodies.

Other giraffids, including Palaeotragus, Shansitherium and Samotherium, lived across Africa and Eurasia about 14 million years ago. Samotherium is an important transitional fossil. The length and shape of its cervical vertebrae were between those of a modern giraffe and an okapi. Bohlinia looked very much like modern giraffes and was likely a direct ancestor of Giraffa. Climate changes led to the loss of the Asian giraffes. African giraffes survived and developed into new species during the Pleistocene. Habitats changed from forests to more open land starting about 8 million years ago. Habitats became the main force shaping giraffe evolution. C4 plants replaced tropical plants, and a dry savannah spread across Africa. The Masai giraffe's base pairs number about 2.9 billion. The giraffe and okapi lineages split apart around 11.5 million years ago. A small group of regulatory genes appears to control how tall a giraffe grows.

Anatomy

Giraffes are very tall. Fully grown giraffes stand 4.3 to 5.7 m (14 to 19 ft) tall, and males taller than females. An adult male weighs about 1,192 kg (2,628 lb), and an adult female weighs about 828 kg (1,825 lb). Even with its long neck and legs, the body is fairly short. The skin is mostly gray or tan and can be up to 20 mm (0.79 in) thick. The tail is 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 in) long and ends in a dark tuft of hair. The giraffe uses it to swat insects.

The coat has dark patches that can be orange, chestnut, brown, or nearly black. These patches are surrounded by light hair that is usually white or cream coloured. Males get darker as they age. The pattern has been claimed to help hide the giraffe in the light and shade of camouflage woodlands, but adult giraffes rely more on their size and their ability to defend themselves. Each giraffe has its own unique pattern. The skin under the patches may help control body temperature, and it has large sweat glands. The fur may also give a chemical defense. It has at least 11 main aromatic chemicals, mostly 3-methylindole and indole. These may have another role, because males have a stronger smell.

Both males and females have horn-like structures called ossicones. They are made of ossified cartilage, covered in skin, and joined to the skull at the parietal bones. They are vascularised, which means they have many blood vessels. They may help with thermoregulation, which is how the body keeps its temperature steady. Males use them in fights with each other. Males also grow calcium deposits that form bumps on their skulls. Sinuses make the skull lighter.

The occipital condyles let the giraffe tip its head down more than 90 degrees. It can also use its tongue to grab food from branches above. Its eyes are on the sides of its head, which gives it a wide visual field. Giraffe vision is more binocular than in other hoofed mammals, which means both eyes work together well. Their eyes are larger, and they have a greater retinal surface area. The giraffe's hearing and smell are sharp, and its nostrils are slit-shaped.

The tongue is about 45 cm (18 in) long and black. It can grasp leaves. The upper lip is flexible and hairy, which protects it from prickly plants. The upper jaw has a hard palate instead of front teeth. The premolars and molars have low crowns.

The neck can be up to 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long and has a mane of short hairs. Its length comes from longer cervical vertebrae, not from having more of them. These bones make up 52 to 54 per cent of the vertebral column. In similar animals, such as the okapi, the giraffe's closest living relative, they make up 27 to 33 percent. The neck grows mostly after birth. This may be because a long neck would make giving birth hard.

Large muscles and a nuchal ligament hold up the head and neck. Long thoracic vertebrae spines, anchored by these muscles, form a hump on the back. The neck bones have ball and socket joints.

Scientists have several ideas about how the neck became so long. Charles Darwin first suggested that competition with smaller browsers, such as kudu, steenbok, and impala, pushed the neck to grow. Giraffes can feed up to 4.5 m (15 ft) high, while kudu reach only about 2 m (6 ft 7 in). A 2010 study found that adults with longer necks had higher death rates during droughts, because long necks need more nutrients. Another idea is that long necks helped males win "necking" contests. However, a 2024 study found that females actually have proportionally longer necks. The neck may also help the animal watch for danger.

The front legs tend to be longer than the back legs. Males have proportionally longer front legs, which help support their neck swings in fights. The leg bones lack some metapodials. A suspensory ligament helps the long legs carry great weight. The hooves of large males can reach 31 cm × 23 cm (12.2 in × 9.1 in). A low fetlock helps them bear that weight. Giraffes lack dewclaws. The ilium has stretched-out crests.

A giraffe has only two gaits: walking and galloping. It can sprint up to 60 km/h (37 mph). Giraffes would probably not be good swimmers.

To rest, a giraffe lies with its body on its folded legs. Studies of giraffes in captivity found they sleep about 4.6 hours a day, mostly at night. Sometimes they sleep while standing. Short "deep sleep" phases, with the head resting on the hip or thigh, are believed to be paradoxical sleep.

Inside the body, the left recurrent laryngeal nerve is over 30 cm (12 in) longer than the right one. The left nerve is over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long. These nerves are longer than those of any other living animal. Each nerve cell starts in the brainstem, runs down the neck along the vagus nerve, and then passes back up to the larynx. This means these cells can be nearly 5 m (16 ft) long in the largest giraffes.

The brain is typical for a hoofed mammal. Heat leaves through the nasal passages as the air evaporates, which helps keep the brain cool. The skeleton gives the giraffe a small lung volume for its body size. Its long neck creates a large amount of dead space, which is limited by its narrow windpipe. It has a high tidal volume, so it still gets enough oxygen. It can increase its respiratory rate when running.

The circulatory system is adapted to its great height. The heart is about 11 kg (25 lb) and 60 cm (2 ft) long. It must create about double the blood pressure a human needs to send blood to the brain. This is why the heart wall can be 7.5 cm (3.0 in) thick. A rete mirabile with a large cross-sectional area in the upper neck stops too much blood from reaching the brain when the head is lowered. Jugular veins have several valves, most commonly seven. These valves stop blood from flowing back from the inferior vena cava and right atrium. The skin of the lower legs is thick and tight, which limits blood pooling there.

Strong oesophageal muscles let food come back up from the stomach so the giraffe can chew it again, which is called rumination. Giraffes have four-chambered stomachs that suit their diet. The intestines of an adult measure more than 70 m (230 ft). The ratio of small to large intestine is relatively small. The liver is small and compact. A gallbladder may be present in fetuses, but it disappears before birth.

Behaviour and ecology

Giraffes usually live in open woodlands and savannahs. They like areas with Acacieae, Commiphora, Combretum and Terminalia trees more than the thicker Brachystegia trees. They eat twigs, shrubs, grass and fruit. A giraffe eats about 34 kg (75 lb) of plants each day. Giraffes have also been seen chewing old bones. As a ruminant, a giraffe chews its food, swallows it, and then brings it back up to chew again. Giraffes often form groups that change in size and members. They live in what is called a fission–fusion society. Mothers and their young often stay together for weeks or months. Giraffes do not guard a single area as their own, which is called being territorial. However, they have home ranges that change with the rain and with nearby people. Early scientists thought giraffes could not make sounds. We now know they make snorts, coughs, grunts and other sounds to communicate using their vocal folds. They can even hum at night. Some evidence suggests they may also make very low sounds called infrasound, using Helmholtz resonance.

Giraffes are polygamous, which means a few older males mate with many females. Females go into oestrus about every 15 days. Males check for this by tasting urine, in a process called the flehmen response. A pregnancy (gestation) lasts 400 to 460 days. A single calf is usually born standing up, though twins happen rarely. Mothers often leave their calves together in a "calving pool". Calves begin nursing less at six to eight months. Males use their necks as weapons in a fight called "necking". The males that win have greater reproductive success. Adult giraffes have few enemies, with lions being the main threat. Calves are also hunted by leopards, spotted hyenas and wild dogs. Calves born in the dry season have a better chance of survival. Giraffes often share the land with wildebeests and zebras. Giraffes can have hosts for ticks, such as Hyalomma, Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus. Red-billed and yellow-billed oxpeckers help clean them. Giraffes can also get skin problems, such as lesions or fissures. Many giraffes in Ruaha National Park showed signs of this illness. Tarangire did not see any deaths from the disease.

Human relations

With its tall body and spotted coat, the giraffe has fascinated people for a very long time. Its image is found in many cultures. It has been a symbol of flexibility, far-sightedness, femininity, fragility, grace, beauty, and the continent of Africa itself.^{: 7, 116}

Giraffes were shown in art across the African continent.^{: 45–47} The Kiffians made a life-size rock engraving of two giraffes about 8,000 years ago. It has been called the "world's largest rock art petroglyph".^{: 45} Archaeologists now believe that in the ancient Kushite societies in Nubia, which is now northern Sudan, giraffes may have been part of popular and women's religion. They may have been linked to beliefs about the sun. The Tugen people of modern Kenya used the giraffe to show their god Mda. The Egyptians gave the giraffe its own hieroglyph. It was called 'sr' in Old Egyptian and 'mmy' in later periods.^{: 49} How the giraffe got its height has been the subject of various African folktales. Giraffes also appear in modern Western culture. Salvador Dalí painted them with burning manes in some surrealist paintings. He saw the giraffe as a masculine symbol.^{: 123} Many children's books feature giraffes, including David A. Ufer's The Giraffe Who Was Afraid of Heights, Giles Andreae's Giraffes Can't Dance, and Roald Dahl's The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. Giraffes have appeared in animated films. They were minor characters in Disney's Dumbo and The Lion King, and had bigger roles in The Wild and the Madagascar films. Sophie the Giraffe has been a popular teether since 1961. The Toys "R" Us mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe, is another famous fictional giraffe.^{: 127} Scientists have used the properties of giraffe skin as a model for astronaut and fighter pilot suits. People in these jobs can pass out if blood rushes to their legs.^{: 76} Computer scientists have modeled the coat patterns of several subspecies using reaction–diffusion mechanisms. The constellation of Camelopardalis, introduced in the 17th century, shows a giraffe.^{: 119–20} The Tswana people of Botswana traditionally see the constellation Crux as two giraffes. Acrux and Mimosa form a male, and Gacrux and Delta Crucis form the female.

The Egyptians were among the earliest people to keep giraffes in captivity. They shipped them around the Mediterranean.^{: 48–49} The Romans collected and displayed many animals, including giraffes. The first one in Rome was brought in by Julius Caesar in 46 BC.^{: 52} After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the keeping of giraffes in Europe declined.^{: 54} During the Middle Ages, Europeans knew of giraffes through contact with Arabs, who admired the giraffe for its unusual appearance. Some captive giraffes became famous. In 1414, explorer Zheng He took a giraffe from Malindi to China, where it was placed in a Ming dynasty zoo. The Chinese people were fascinated by the animal and linked it to the mythical Qilin.^{: 56} The Medici giraffe was presented to Lorenzo de' Medici in 1486. It caused a great stir when it arrived in Florence. Zarafa, another famous giraffe, was brought from Egypt to Paris in the early 19th century as a gift for Charles X of France. It became a sensation and was the subject of many souvenirs, or "giraffanalia".^{: 81} Giraffes are now popular attractions in modern zoos. However, they are difficult to keep because they need large areas and large amounts of browse to eat. Captive giraffes in North America and Europe appear to die at higher rates than wild ones. This is mostly because of poor care, nutrition, and management.^{: 153} Zoo giraffes often show stereotypical behaviours, such as licking objects and pacing. Zookeepers may offer activities, including training them to take food from visitors.^{: 164, 167, 176} Stables for giraffes are built high to fit their height.^{: 183} Giraffes were probably common targets for hunters across Africa. Different body parts were used for different purposes. Their meat was eaten, and their tail hairs were used for flyswatters, bracelets, necklaces, and thread. Their skin was used for shields, sandals, and drums. Their tendons were made into musical instrument strings.^{: 337} In Buganda, the smoke of burning giraffe skin was traditionally used to treat nosebleeds. The Humr people of Kordofan drink Umm Nyolokh, which is made from the liver and bone marrow of giraffes. Richard Rudgley suggested that Umm Nyolokh might contain DMT. The Humr say the drink causes visions of giraffes, which they believe are the giraffes' ghosts.

Conservation status

In 2016, giraffes were given a "Vulnerable" rating by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means they are at risk of becoming endangered. In 1985, about 155,000 giraffes were thought to live in the wild. By 1999, the number had dropped to over 140,000. Estimates from 2016 suggested about 97,500 remain in the wild. Some groups of giraffes are near threatened, and the Nubian subspecies is critically endangered. In 2025, the IUCN recognized four species of giraffe with seven subspecies.

The main causes of the decline are habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat markets. Giraffes have disappeared from many parts of their former range, including Eritrea, Guinea, Mauritania and Senegal. Protected areas such as national parks help giraffes, and giraffes are protected by law in most of their range. In 2019, giraffes were added to the CITES agreement, which controls international trade in them.