Where does the giraffe live?
Giraffes live in Africa, in a scattered range that extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. They usually inhabit savannas and woodlands. In the Sahel they have to share space with livestock, but they usually manage by feeding above them. They live in herds of related females and their offspring, or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but they are gregarious and may gather in large groups.
What does the giraffe eat?
Giraffes eat the leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other ground-based herbivores cannot reach. Their tongue is about 45 cm long. When they have access to water, they go no more than three days without drinking. They are the tallest living land animals and the largest ruminants on Earth: their neck and legs are extremely long, but their body is relatively short.
Is the giraffe endangered?
Yes: the IUCN has assessed them as Vulnerable since 2016. There were an estimated 155,000 giraffes in the wild in 1985, and approximately 97,500 in 2016. The primary causes of decline are habitat loss and direct killing for bushmeat markets. They have been wiped out from much of their historic range, including Eritrea, Guinea, Mauritania and Senegal. Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs may prey upon them.
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