Fun Facts | Poem | References

Kingdom: Animalia

Characteristics that place it here:

• multicellular
• heterotroph
• no rigid cell wall

Phylum: Chordata

Characteristics that place it here:

• backbone
• segmented body
• bilateral symmetry
• ventral heart
• complete digestive system
• bony endoskeleton

Class: Mammalia

Characteristics that place it here:

• has hair/fur
• feed their newborns with milk
• 3 middle ear bones

Order: Artiodactyla

Characteristics that place it here:

• live in open habitats like savannas or plains
• are fast running animals
• has antlers/horns

Family: Giraffidae

Characteristics that place it here:

• live in Saharan Africa
• long narrow heads
• ling tongues
• thin lips
• short horns/antlers
• long necks

Genius and Species: Giraffa,

 Giraffa Camelopardalis

Characteristics that place it here:

• have spots on hair/fur
• have a black tongue

References: Yahoo: April 25, 2002 : http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=giraffe 

http://www.seaworld.org/AnimalBytes/giraffeab.html  

Poem:                                    Giraffe

                                           Giraffe's have long necks.

        Giraffe's can also run fast.

   They also have horns.

FUN FACTS

1. Giraffes strip leaves from thorny acacia trees, sometimes colonized by ants, with their 45 cm (18 in.) long, prehensile tongues.

2. Bull giraffes forage higher in trees than cow giraffes which reduces food competition between the sexes.

3. Long-legged giraffes walk with the limbs on one side of the body lifted at the same time. This gait is called a pace and allows a longer stride which saves steps and energy.

4. A mother giraffe often gives birth while standing so that the newborn's first experience outside the womb is a 1.8 m (6 ft.) drop!

5. For the first four to five months, calves congregate in nursery groups called creches to rest and socialize while mothers forage in the distance.

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