Giraffe Facts & Trivia: Fascinating Things to Know

Everything about a giraffe seems built at a larger scale. It plows through roughly 75 pounds of leaves in a single day, using a tongue that stretches 18 inches — handy for stripping leaves off thorny acacia branches in the African savanna, grasslands, and open woodlands it calls home.

Oddly enough, all that height doesn't help at ground level: despite its towering neck, a giraffe still can't comfortably reach the ground to drink or graze low plants. It also carries the longest tail of any mammal, extending out to about 8 feet.

Giraffes get by on very little rest — they need far less sleep than most mammals — and spend the vast majority of their lives on their feet; they've essentially never been seen taking a bath, either. As ruminants, they rely on a multi-chambered stomach to digest all that foliage.

A newborn giraffe doesn't waste time: it's up and standing within an hour of birth and already keeping pace with the herd in less than half a day — good timing, since giraffes themselves give birth while standing up.

That calm grazing pace is deceptive: a giraffe can hit speeds up to 35 mph in short bursts, and its vocal range includes bellows, snorts, hisses, and odd flute-like tones. Rival males settle disputes by swinging their necks at each other, and a fully grown male can weigh roughly as much as a pickup truck.

Socially, giraffes are non-territorial and tend to gather in loose, friendly groups — a gathering of them is called a "tower."

Scientifically, there's just one recognized giraffe species, divided into nine subspecies, and the population isn't currently classified as endangered. Taxonomically, giraffes fall under Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia, Order Artiodactyla, and Family Giraffidae.

• A giraffe's tongue runs about 18 inches long and often looks bluish-purple.
• Its neck, however long, still can't reach ground level for a drink.
• The tail is the longest of any mammal on the planet, at roughly 8 feet.
• Calves stand within an hour of birth and can run with the herd in under a day.
• No two giraffes share the same coat pattern — much like human fingerprints.
• A group of giraffes is known as a "tower."
• In New Age symbolism, the giraffe represents intuition and flexibility.

That distinctive silhouette translates well to the screen. Animated audiences met Melman the hypochondriac giraffe in Madagascar (2005), while The Wild (2006) gave us Bridget, another giraffe navigating a jungle adventure. Giraffes appeared on the big screen even earlier, in The Last Giraffe (1979), and The White Giraffe Movie has been in the works as well.

Giraffes have also inspired playful kids' songs, including "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Asali Sunshine and "I Like the G G G of the Giraffe."

• Melman — the anxious, lovable giraffe from Madagascar
• Bridget — the giraffe character from The Wild
• Geoffrey — the long-running mascot of Toys "R" Us