Giraffe

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species, and has the biggest heart. Males can tower over 5m (16ft) tall and weighs up to 1200kg (2640lbs). The record-sized bull, shot in Kenya in 5.87m (19ft) tall and weighed approximately 2000kg (4400lb). Females are slightly shorter, and weigh less than the males do. The complex pattern of irregualr dark patches are unique to each animal and is an excellent cammouflage in open areas where they browse. Males have larger thicker horns than the female which can be worn smooth by years of fighting. The giraffe is related to deer and cattle, but is placed in a separate family, the Giraffidae, along with its closest relative, the Okapi. Its range extends from Chad to South Africa.

Giraffes can inhabit savannas, grasslands, or open woodlands which include areas of the Kalahari and Damaraland. They prefer areas enriched with acacia growth. They drink large quantities of water and, as a result, they can spend long periods of time in dry, arid areas. A Giraffes great height and excellent vision makes it the 'eyes of the bush' for other animals and a group of Giraffes looking in one direction normally signals danger and the threat of lions. Lions can easily topple an adult Giraffe often chasing them over uneven group so that the Giraffe will loose its balance. The young are more vulnerable with high mortality rate in the first year of life however, the adults can fight back administering powerful blows on an assailant with its hooves.