Giraffes
By: Caryn

Hi my name is Caryn and I’m going to tell you about giraffes.
Giraffes have spots on their skin and the only reason why giraffes
have long necks is so that they can reach and eat their food.
Giraffes are browsers, or leaf eaters. They have 45-50 cm long
blue-black tongues that wrap around leaves and pick them from the
branch. The long tongue helps them get leaves that are almost out
of reach. The dark color of the tongue means that the tongue does
not get sun burnt when it is out of the mouth. Leaves give giraffes
most of the moisture that they need so that they do not often have
to drink water. Water holes are places where predators wait, and it
is awkward and dangerous for a giraffe to lower its head since they
are the tallest of all creatures. Giraffe do not drink water more
than once a day.

Giraffes have small “horns” or knobs on tops of their heads that grow
to about five inches long. These knobs are used to protect the head
in fights. Male giraffes are larger than female giraffes. Males weigh
between 2,400 and 3,000 pounds and stand up to 19 feet tall! Giraffes
are found in parts of Africa. They live on the Savannah, which is the
African grassland, or in light woodlands. They don’t live in thick
forests because lions live in forests and will eat the giraffes for
lunch. Giraffes live in a group called herds, although the members
of a herd come and go. Giraffes don’t stay together all the time. I
hope you have learned a lot about Giraffes.

<< Go back