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Reticulated giraffe

Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata

Giraffes on the savanna at Copenhagen Zoo

SAVANNAH OBSERVATION TOWER

In addition to the Zoo Tower, the zoo also offers living observation towers in the savannah area – namely the reticulated giraffes.

The reticulated giraffe is one of nine giraffe species. The species differ, among other things, in the shape, color and density of the spots that cover the body. The reticulated giraffe’s spots are sharply defined and chestnut brown with creamy white lines between them. The species can also be recognized by its three horns. The horns consist of bony cartilage and are covered in fur and tufts of hair. Both males and females have horns, but males in particular use them in fights against each other.

When male giraffes fight, they stand parallel and swing their necks at each other. It must be a chiropractor’s worst nightmare to witness! If this test of strength does not decide the fight, the giraffes begin to hit their heads like a club against the opponent’s chest and belly. The blows are powerful, and usually it only takes a few tries before the weaker party gives up. The fights are rarely fatal, but they are typically decisive for who gets access to mate with the females.

Giraffes can mate all year round, but mating most often takes place during the rainy season, when food is plentiful. A female giraffe is pregnant for 14-15 months and usually gives birth to a single calf. Birth occurs in a standing position, which means that the calf is born after a fall of about two meters. The calf is rarely injured by the fall. The first few minutes are uncertain, but after about an hour the calf can move around fairly safely. This is crucial, as giraffe calves are vulnerable and easy prey for predators. Adult giraffes, on the other hand, have virtually no natural enemies.

The giraffe is a ruminant, which means that its food is chewed several times. Leaves and fresh shoots therefore move repeatedly back and forth through its almost two-meter-long neck. The reticulated giraffe's preferred food is leaves and shoots from thorny acacia trees. An adult giraffe eats about 34 kg of food per day. Its impressive height and very long tongue enable the giraffe to reach food sources that few other herbivores have access to.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE RETIC GIRAFFE

Gestation
14-15 months
Habitat
Africa, savanna and open forest
Diet
Leaves and fresh shoots
Lifespan
10-15 years
Weight
550-1900 kg
Height
450-600 cm

DARK BLUE TONGUE

The reticulated giraffe's tongue is dark blue and almost 50 cm long! The dark color protects the tongue from the sun's rays, while the impressive length and flexibility allow the giraffe to wrap its tongue around branches and pull off leaves with great precision. This way, the giraffe can eat from acacia trees without getting stuck on the sharp thorns.

Giraffe sticks out its tongue at Copenhagen Zoo

YOU CAN SLEEP WHEN YOU GET OLD

The reticulated giraffe has a very special circadian rhythm. It sleeps in short intervals and only lies down for very limited periods during the day. Giraffes most often sleep standing up: They bend their heads back in a soft arch, rest it against one shoulder and sleep for a few minutes at a time at most. Overall, a giraffe typically sleeps less than 30 minutes a day.

The giraffe is washing its back at Copenhagen Zoo

NO ONE IS THE SAME

The spotted pattern of the reticulated giraffe is completely unique. No giraffe is the same, and the differences in the spots are used by the giraffes themselves to recognize each other. The characteristic spots are also used here in the ZOO, where the zookeepers can easily tell the individual giraffes apart by looking at the spot pattern on their chest.

The giraffes' spots at Copenhagen Zoo

A HEART WEIGHING 11 KG

The reticulated giraffe's incredible height places special demands on its circulatory system. Its blood pressure is high, and with a heart weighing about 11 kg, a powerful heartbeat, and a highly specialized system of blood vessels, the giraffe is able to move its head from great heights all the way down to the ground and back up again without fainting. This is necessary, for example, when the giraffe drinks water from the muddy waterholes of the savannah.

Two giraffes seen from above

STATUS IN NATURE

The reticulated giraffe is vulnerable.

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    GET VERY CLOSE TO THE RETICULATED GIRAFFE

    Want to get up close and personal with the reticulated giraffe? With our Close encounters with the giraffes experience, you can go behind the scenes and reach new heights, where you might get a whole new perspective on one of the world's most fascinating animals.

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