Giraffe

Giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animals with height reaching 5.5 meters. They inhabit bushy grasslands with dispersed trees in Africa. Their extremely long neck and long and motile tongue are adaptations to a way of eating, browsing on the tree leaves.

Males are taller than females and they also carry on their heads besides bony horns-like outgrowths several apparent bulges. When duelling they hit each other with their necks.

Another motoric peculiarities are the way of drinking, when animal straddle its front legs to reach the water level, or the way of walking, since the giraffes belong among pacers.

Giraffes form loose herds of mothers with calves and bachelor groups of males. Females give birth after 15 months of gestation to a single calf while standing, so the neonate starts its life with a fall from a height of approximately two meters.

Population of giraffes is threatened by habitat loss and poaching.