Tall, Silent, and Powerful: Discovering the Giraffe

Just Watch

Giraffes mainly feed on the leaves of acacia trees. Their long tongues — around 45 to 50 centimeters — help them reach leaves between the thorns. Their tongues are also dark-colored, which helps protect them from sunburn.  Even though they appear gentle, giraffes can deliver very powerful kicks when threatened. Predators like lions can be seriously injured or even killed by a giraffe’s kick.

Transcript

00:00Hello! Today, I'm going to share some fascinating facts about the tallest land animal in the world,

00:07the giraffe. Giraffes are herbivorous mammals that live in the African savannas.

00:14They can grow up to 4.5 to 6 meters tall. A large part of their height comes from their necks,

00:21which can be about 1.8 meters long. Interestingly, giraffes have only seven neck vertebrae,

00:28just like humans, but theirs are much larger. To pump blood all the way up to their brains,

00:35giraffes need a very powerful heart. Their heart is about twice the size of a human heart and beats

00:42around 150 times per minute. Giraffes mainly feed on the leaves of acacia trees. Their long tongues,

00:50around 45 to 50 centimeters, help them reach leaves between the thorns. Their tongues are also dark

00:58colored, which helps protect them from sunburn. Even though they appear gentle, giraffes can deliver

01:05very powerful kicks when threatened. Predators like lions can be seriously injured or even killed by

01:12a giraffe's kick. Giraffes are generally quiet animals, but recent studies have shown that they

01:18communicate using low-frequency sounds that humans can't hear. Unfortunately, the giraffe population

01:26has declined by nearly 40 percent in recent years. That's why it's so important to protect nature

01:33and help these majestic creatures survive. Giraffes truly are one of the most elegant and fascinating

01:41animals on earth.

Category

Transcript

Recommended