Giraffe

=** GIRAFFES!!!!!!!!!!!! **=

__ PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: __
== **giraffes have l** ** ong limbs,necks and tongues which enable them to reach vegetation in the trees.nine subspecies,differing in coat pattern and number of horns, live in different parts of Africa. giraffes distinctive orangish,rusty, or blackish coats that are broken into patchworks by whitish outlines.it is rare to find an all-whitish giraffe. **==

__ HABITAT: __

 * Giraffe's used to live in Asia, A **** frica and Europe but **** that was millions of years ago now they only live in Africa . They like to live in tree-dotted ecosystem or plain wooded areas,but some giraffes live in forests near water that is important to giraffes living in arid areas. **

**__ Ecosystem __**

 * A giraffe's ecosystem is a savannah covered in grass with lots of trees and rocks . **

__** FEEDING: **__

 * they feed on leaves,twigs,evergreen trees,shrubs and even thornes. they drink their mothers milk.giraffes eat 63 kg daily on twigs and leaves.giraffes will spread their legs apart while getting a drink of water. **

__** SLEEP: **__

 * a giraffe sleeps about a half an hour a day but is broken up into 6-5 minute naps to watch for enemies. **

__** BODY: **__

 * As soon as a baby giraffe is born he/she is right up on his/her feet. The young giraffe grows fast.A giraffe can run extremely fast to protect its self . In a few weeks it it running and playing and keeping up with mom.a giraffes neck only as 7 bones.The giraffe is the tallest living mammal male(20 feet) six metres and weighs 4,200 pounds; females (15 feet ) 4.5 metres and weighs 2,500 pounds ; baby giraffes (over 6 feet ) two metres.A female giraffe is pregnant for 15 months.a baby giraffe's horns lie flat on its head until born and only pop upright during its first week of life. **

__** BEHAVIOUR: **__

 * female giraffes travel in herds as do young males but older males go alone.They spend their days looking through female herds to find a mate. males like to find a females that is ready for a baby.giraffes kiss by tangling their necks. **//** male giraffes get into 'pushing matches' when they are young and trying to figure out who is stronger. once older and while defending their females, they will actually fight and smash their heads together while pushing each other with their necks.females protect their young by kicking at predators with their hooves.male giraffes sometimes spar by swinging their heads at each other and their necks can become entwined this is called necking. **//

**__ REPRODUCE: __**

 * A female giraffe is pregnant for 15 months. a female giraffe usually have 1 baby but sometimes 2.a baby giraffe's horns lie flat on its head until born and only pop upright during its first week of life.newborns will stay with their mother for the first couple of weeks,then they join the other young giraffe herd called a creche which is unattended by adults.baby giraffes can grow an inch a day and can just about double their height in one year. **

__** PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE: **__
**people have been hunting giraffes for many years and although people still hunt giraffes,their greatest threat is habitat destruction. habitat loss as caused giraffes to be come extinct in many countries. many cattle ranchers allow giraffes to live on their land as they don't let them eat the same food as their cattle but some farmers still shoot them.giraffes future and other plain's animals living in africa depends on man's conservation of both park and private lands.**

**// LIFE SPAN: //**

 * // giraffes live up to 25 years in the wild and even longer in a zoo. //**

=__//** ENEMIES: **//__=
 * 50% of young giraffes die their first year due to enemies.a //giraffes enemies are lions,hyenas,leopards, and packs of wild dogs.these have been know to take down a baby giraffe that as been wandering off from its mother. 'big cats' can also take down a weak or sick giraffe.poaching is also VERY real and giraffes are now in danger due to mans ignorance and greediness.nile crocodiles can ambush giraffes when they settle down to drink.// **

__//** FUN FACTS! **//__
//** Giraffes have dark brown eyes except a albino baby, a albino baby as pink eyes. **// //** a giraffes tongue is blue-black and extremely long **// //** a giraffes mouth is hard and horny to enable them to eat thorny bushes with ease **// //** an average giraffes legs are 6 feet long **// //** a normal baby giraffe is 6 feet tall at birth **// //** giraffes can be found browsing alongside ostriches, wart-hogs,zebras,wildebeests,and other grazing animals **// //** male giraffes get into 'pushing matches' when they are young and trying to figure out who is stronger. once older and while defending their females, they will actually fight and smash their heads together while pushing each other with their necks. **// //** a giraffe can have up to 5 horns **// //** ancient romans call giraffes 'camelopards' describing them as hybrid animals with camel bodies and leopard spots. **//

**refence list**
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Do-You-Know-Your-Giraffes-49463.html http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AfricanSavanna/fact-giraffe.cfm picture from http://www.flickr.com/search/?l=commderiv&q=girrafe
 * http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Am16zRpGcJ2A6XtZgQjNxMEjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20090914110038AAUw9X2**
 * our wildlife world merebeth switzer grolier 1988**
 * giraffes mary ling sholastic canada ltd 1993**
 * giraffes sally mirgan**