Giraffes Are Gigantic! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Okapi

Giraffes are the only members of the species, Giraffa camelopardalis, but both animals are the only living members of the family Giraffidae. Traits that the two animals share in common include a long black tongue and a camouflaged coat. The most recognizable difference is that an okapi does not have as long a neck as the giraffe.

Answer: Savanna

Giraffes prefer to live in savannas or woodlands. The savanna where they live is made up of grassland, with some trees and shrubs as well, in places where there is enough water to sustain them. Warm year-round, the savanna has a dry season and a wet season, which allows acacia trees, which provide the giraffe's favorite food, to grow.

The giraffe, however, will eat other available vegetation - up to 75-100 pounds of it a day for an adult!

Answer: True

The giraffe especially likes to eat the leaves of acacia tree; as long as they are green and fresh, he can get most of the water he needs from the leaves. Why is this such a good thing? Well, when a giraffe must drink from a watering hole, the position he assumes leaves him very vulnerable. Sources vary on the frequency a giraffe must drink; while some say once every three days, others say once a day.

Answer: Horns

Both bull (male) and cow (female) giraffes have horns, but there is a way to tell one from the other. While a bull's ossicones end in knobs and are typically bald on the top, the cow's are thinner and are covered with a bit of hair. And yes, there is a difference between antlers and horns. Antlers, found on cervids, or members of the deer family, are made of bone, usually branch as they grow, and are shed every year; on the other hand, horns, found on bovids, or cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals, are permanent, do not branch, and are made of a bony core enclosed by keratin.

Answer: False

The very young and old giraffes are usually the target for predators, such as the lion or hyena, or perhaps a crocodile at the water's edge. It is said, however, that lions will only attack a healthy adult giraffe in a large group as the giraffe's legs are powerful and can kick very hard. How hard can they kick, you might ask? Apparently a well-placed kick can actually decapitate a lion!

Answer: He has a very long tongue.

Not to worry, because a giraffe has a tongue that can be as long as 20 inches! Not only that, but a giraffe's tongue is dark because that helps to prevent sun burn! Apparently it takes a long time to consume all of the food a giraffe needs; they spend a large part of the day just eating, so the tongue is exposed to the sun quite a bit! The giraffe's tongue can be used for grasping things, and of course, personal grooming, like cleaning its nose and ears.

Just so you know, a giraffe really can't jump much at all.

Answer: Walking

Even when walking, a giraffe can cover quite a bit of ground. Given its height and the length its legs, it is estimated that an adult giraffe can cover about 15 feet with every step. That translates into being about to walk about 10 miles an hour! While galloping, a giraffe can cover about 35 miles an hour, although it is almost impossible to keep up that sort of pace for very long! They have a long windpipe, and run out of breath very easily. Did you know that giraffes, unlike horses, for example, walk by moving the legs on one side of their body at the same time? The left front and left hind legs step at the same time! When they run, however, they typically run like horses, using their front and back legs together at the same time.

Answer: The patches are important in regulating the giraffe's body temperature.

Did you know that every giraffe's patches are as unique as human fingerprints? What the patches hide is a network of blood vessels and glands. Giraffes do not sweat or pant to cool down, like most mammals. The blood vessels, which are near the surface of the skin, allow the flow of blood to cool their body down and release heat.

The glands secrete natural chemicals that help to repel parasites and clean the skin. It is said that as they get older, giraffes can be smelled several feet away!

Answer: Two of the males are fighting!

Although you may see pictures that look as though two giraffes are rubbing their necks and showing affection, the process called necking with giraffes has nothing to do with affection. When males neck, it is a show of strength like wrestling is for people.

The male who can keep his neck most erect wins. These bouts of necking can go on for 20-30 minutes. While most of the fights do not cause serious injury to the participants, jaws and necks can be broken, resulting in death for the loser.

Answer: Yes

Research has shown that giraffes prefer to live in groups; these groups may be based on kinship, gender, or other factors. It appears that females are more selective in choosing their group than males! They tend to stay with individuals to whom they are related through their mother. Did you know that a group of giraffes is called a tower? Towers can contain over forty individuals.

While giraffes do have areas of home range, they are not territorial.