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| Latin name | Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi |
| Height including Horns | Up to 5.5m(18ft) |
| Weight | 1200kg (2700lb) |
| Gestation | 14-16 months |
| No. of young | 1 |
| Lifespan | Up to 25 years in the wild, up to 30 years in captivity |
Rothschild Giraffe are found in the wooded plains, scrub or thickets in several countries south of the Saharan Desert, including Kenya and Uganda.
Giraffes are ruminants and herbivores. Their diet consists of leaves, shoots and shrubs. Their favorite food is thorny acacia trees, which they eat by using their lips and tongue to pull bunches of leaves between the thorns and into their mouth. It will then coat the ball of leaves with sticky saliva, making it safe to swallow.
So that there is no competition for food, males will feed from the tops of trees whilst the females will feed from lower down. In a typical day, Giraffes will consume 30lb of leaves. Giraffe do not spent too much time drinking, as they have to bend their necks along way to the ground to reach the water. This is accomplished by spreading their legs. This puts the Giraffe in a very vulnerable position and this is when a Giraffe would be most likely to get attacked by a predator.
Giraffes have no particular breeding seasons and are able to mate at any time of the year. A Giraffe cow attracts all of the mature males around her but will only mate with the dominant bull. The gestation period for Giraffe is 14-16 months and a single calf will be born. The female will give birth standing up and the calf will have a 7ft drop to the ground. The calf is about 6ft tall at birth and will be standing up within 5 minutes to an hour after birth. The calf is born with its five horns or ossicones, these are the only mammals that are born with horns. At birth these horns are soft and pushed into the head but will harden up as the calf grows up.
Rothschild Giraffes have the same basic appearance as other sub species of Giraffe; long legs with the front ones being longer than the hind, long neck with seven vertebrae and a leopard like coat. The main distinction between the Rothschild Giraffe and others is their coat colour; this type of Giraffe has a pale and thickset coat, its patches are blotchy and irregular and they are unmarked below the knee.
Rothschild Giraffes also have five horns or ossicones arranged on the top of its head. There is the boss in front and two pairs behind that.
Giraffes have keen vision and are excellent runners. The Giraffe will walk by swinging two legs of the same side at the same time, instead of opposite ones. When galloping, both hind legs are brought forward at the same time and placed outside the front legs.
Giraffe have a black tongue, which can reach up to 18 inches in length
The pattern of a Giraffe’s coat is unique to each animal in the same way as fingerprints are to people. The pattern will remain constant from birth.
Giraffe will live in groups of 12-15 animals with roughly the same number of males and females. The males will compete with for mating rights but the females can live together with no competition.
Giraffe are very curious animals and are very calm with people, provided they do not feel threatened.
In the wild, the main predators of calf giraffes are lions, hyenas and Leopards. Adult Giraffe are most vulnerable when drinking as their legs are splayed, their had is down and this puts then in vulnerable position. They are most at risk from lions and crocodiles. However, a Giraffe is capable of defending itself from a lion as it has a powerful kick capable of injuring or even killing the lion. Giraffe will only attack each other when establishing hierarchy within their groups. When this happens, the giraffe will use its neck as a club and swing its head at the body and legs of another giraffe.
Humans have probably been the greatest threat to the Rothschild Giraffe. Habitat destruction and excessive poaching has reduced the numbers of Rothschild Giraffe left in the wild. Giraffe are hunted for their meat, skin and tail. It is now estimated that there are only forty individuals left in the wild. Luckily, many zoos and safari parks are keeping these animals and are breeding them successfully.
- Giraffes can run up to 60km/h (45mph) and can jump as high as 1.80m.
- Giraffe’s hearts weigh 12kg and can pump 60 litres of blood per minute.
- The Giraffe has the largest brain of all hoofed mammals.
- Giraffe can get sore throats when they are suffering from a cold or flu. This is just a slight swelling of their tonsils and the insensity and duration of it is nothing to do with the length of the Giraffe’s neck.