Pictorial Quiz of the Giraffes of Kenya

Answer: Reticulated Giraffe

The Reticulated Giraffe is found in north-east Kenya, southern Ethiopia and Somalia. The markings of this giraffe, with large patches of colour separated by thin white lines, are often said to resemble a net pattern and make this giraffe easy to identify. There are only about 5,000 of these animals living in the wild, although they are quite popular with zoos.
Perched on the shoulder of the giraffe is a bird. This bird is most likely an Oxpecker, which eats mites out of the giraffe's coat.

Answer: There is an antiseptic in the giraffe's saliva.

The giraffe's tongue is about 50 cm (20 in) long and is black to prevent it from being sunburned. With a prehensile tongue (which means that it is able to grab things) and a flexible upper lip, the giraffe does a pretty good job of picking leaves from around the thorns.

However there is also an antiseptic property to their saliva that helps prevent infection when they do, occasionally, get jabbed by the thorns.

Answer: The mother delivers while standing and the baby drops to the ground.

Giraffes give birth while standing and the baby drops, head first, to the ground. It severs the umbilical cord when it falls and is almost two meters (six feet) tall at birth. Although the newborn is able to run a couple of hours after birth, the first two weeks of its life are usually spent lying down.

Although giraffes don't generally live in herds, new mothers do gather together for better protection of the calves. This also allows them to forage for food, leaving their calves protected by other mothers. Only 25 - 50% of baby giraffes reach adulthood.

Answer: sleeping

Giraffes require very little sleep. Our guide told us that they only sleep 20 minutes a day, but other sources indicate that they sleep up to four hours a day, but only 15-20 minutes at a time. They can sleep while standing, but often lie down to sleep, with their legs folded up underneath them and their heads resting on the ground or on their backs. They are very vulnerable to predators when lying down so it is very unlikely that you would see one lying down for any other reason.
Our vehicle probably disturbed this giraffe, which is why his head is not down.

Answer: True

The easiest way to tell the sex of a giraffe is by looking at its horns. A female has tufts of hair at the ends of its horns, while a male does not. The horn-like protuberance that can be found mid-forehead is also more pronounced in the male, making it almost look as if the male has a third horn.
This giraffe is a Rothchild Giraffe. It is estimated that there are less than 700 of these living in the wild. We were fortunate to see a few of these giraffes in the wild and to be able to feed some at the rescue centre just outside of Nairobi.

Answer: The two legs on the same side move at the same time.

This same-sided leg movement is very unusual. When horses walk, they place each foot one at a time. Each one of a giraffe's strides is about four and a half meters (15 feet) in length. This gait is part of what makes a giraffe appear so graceful when they walk.
A giraffe can run up to 60 km an hour (almost 40 mph), but only for short distances.

Answer: drinking

A giraffe's long neck and legs make it uniquely suited for eating leaves off the top of the trees. However it does make it difficult for them to drink. In order to accomplish this, they must either spread their front legs widely or bend them at the knee. This makes them very vulnerable to predators such as lions and crocodiles. Because they get a lot of moisture from their food, they do not have to drink every day.
It is interesting to watch giraffes drink because they are so cautious about it. There were 21 giraffes in this group and we only saw one drink the entire time we watched.

Answer: up to 25 years old

In the wild a giraffe usually lives between 20 and 25 years, assuming it makes it to adulthood. Giraffes in zoos may live longer, up to 28 years. A full-grown male giraffe weighs about 1,600 kg (3,500 lbs.) and a female weighs about 830 kg (1,8000 lbs.).
This is a Maasai Giraffe, which differs from the Reticulated Giraffe in that the markings are more irregular splotches. One of the major ways it differs from the Rothschild Giraffe is that the marking continue down the legs of a Maasai Giraffe but not down the legs of a Rothchild Giraffe.

Answer: True

With the exception of being hunted by man, the only time that an adult giraffe is really vulnerable is when it is sitting or lying down, or bending to take a drink. Otherwise a giraffe can either outrun or kill most of its predators. While we were at the giraffe centre a leg bone of a giraffe was passed around and it was surprising how heavy it was.

The kick of a giraffe will seriously injure or kill, if it is able to connect. There are many documented incidents of giraffes killing lions by kicking them.

They are not invulnerable though and several lionesses hunting together can bring down an adult giraffe. This would not be their first choice of prey though.

Answer: fighting

Although they do not form long lasting herds, male giraffes fight to establish their position in the social hierarchy, which will also establish their right to breed. These immature males are engaged in a behaviour known as necking, where they hit each other with their necks and heads.

The force with which they strike each other is such that it can be heard, and this behaviour can go on for a long time. This pair continued this behaviour for a half hour, that we saw.