From the Sun King to the tree tops, check out more photos of these gentle giants of the Serengeti. Male giraffes (Twiga in Swahili) can grow to be “18 feet tall and weigh up to 4,200 pounds [while] females grow to 16 feet tall and weigh up to 2,500 pounds.” And they get that big and strong from merely a diet of leaves. “An adult giraffe may consume up to 140 pounds of foliage a day”! Their vegan diets provide them with enough water to go weeks without drinking, which is maybe why “ancient Romans called giraffes ‘camelopards,’ describing them as hybrid animals with camel bodies and leopard spots.”
Read more about giraffes on the National Zoo website and find out about the Giraffe Center in Langata, Kenya which focuses on education, conservation and breeding of a rare giraffe species.
