MOMMY WAS I EVER THAT SMALL? GIRAFFE'S
MOMMY WAS I EVER THAT SMALL? GIRAFFE'S
The mother looked at her 6th month old and said, My dearest one the answer is yes. You were just as small as these little ones, and smaller when you were inside of me! As their Mother bore them, they shall grow as tall as they can, run fast into the wind, laugh in the rain and sun, just like you will. Not to worry about being bigger or smaller over others, as you all see the same things, it's only from a different height. You all laugh, just with different voices, you all get hungry, but you have unique appetites, and you all know love because it lives in every heart. When you grow up my child, remember not to look for differences in others, you should look for what you share in common, and run with them together, holding onto each other like there is no tomorrow…
The giraffe (Giraffa) is a genus of African even-toed ungulate mammals, the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants.
At an average height of around 5 m (16-18 ft.), the giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world. Characterized by its long legs, long neck, and distinctive spotted pattern, many people first believed the giraffe was a cross between a leopard and a camel, which is reflected in its scientific name, Giraffa camelopardalis.
Giraffes live primarily in savanna areas in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Their extreme height allows them to eat leaves and shoots located much higher than other animals can reach. In particular, they seek out acacia trees. Their long tongues are helpful in eating because they help pull leaves from the trees. Spending most of the day eating, a full-grown giraffe consumes over 45 kg (100 lb.) of leaves and twigs a day.
The male giraffe is both taller and heavier than the female. Both sexes have skin-covered knobs, called ossicones, on the top of their heads. Female ossicones are smaller and have a small tuft of fur on top, while male ossicones are bald on the top. These knobs are used to protect the head when males fight, which involves swinging their necks at each other in a show of strength called “necking.”
Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach.
Giraffes are preyed on by lions; their young are also targeted by leopards, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring, or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations. Males establish social hierarchies through "necking", which are combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear the sole responsibility for raising the young.
