The short answer
The giraffe is the tallest animal on Earth — males reach about 5.5 metres (18 feet) — and one of the most quietly remarkable. It pumps blood with an 11 kg heart at twice human blood pressure, grips leaves with a 45–50 cm prehensile tongue, and wears a coat as individual as a fingerprint. Since 2025 there are four recognised giraffe species, and about 140,700 remain in the wild across Africa. This guide gathers the essential facts, each linking to a deeper page.
Giraffe quick facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tallest land animal | Males ~5.5 m (18 ft); females ~4.3–4.6 m (14–15 ft) |
| Weight | Males ~1,100–1,900 kg; females ~700–950 kg |
| Neck | ~2 m long, with seven vertebrae — the same number as humans |
| Heart | ~11 kg (25 lb); blood pressure ~280/180 mmHg (about twice a human's) |
| Tongue | ~45–50 cm (18–20 in), prehensile, dark bluish-purple |
| Diet | Browser — mostly acacia and other tree leaves; up to ~30 kg a day |
| Top speed | ~60 km/h (37 mph) in short bursts |
| Sleep | Very little — roughly 30 minutes to a few hours a day |
| Gestation | ~15 months; calves are born standing, dropping ~1.5–2 m |
| Newborn | ~1.8 m tall, 50–70 kg; can stand and run within hours |
| Lifespan | ~25 years in the wild; up to ~28+ in human care |
| Group name | A "tower" of giraffes |
| Closest relative | The okapi — the only other living giraffid |
| Species | Four: northern, reticulated, Masai, southern |
| Wild population | ~140,700 (2025); three of four species increasing |
Why giraffes are so tall
A giraffe's height is a feeding strategy. By browsing 4–6 metres up, giraffes reach leaves almost nothing else can, sidestepping competition with other herbivores. That reach comes from a neck about two metres long — built, surprisingly, from just seven greatly elongated vertebrae, the same count as in your own neck. Exactly why the neck grew so long is one of biology's best debates, between the classic "high-browse" idea and a "necks-for-sex" sexual-selection hypothesis. Both are explored in why giraffes have long necks, and the full size breakdown is in how tall is a giraffe.
The giraffe's extraordinary heart and blood pressure
Being tall creates a plumbing problem: the heart must push blood two metres straight up to the brain. A giraffe solves this with an 11 kg heart, an exceptionally thick left ventricle, and the highest blood pressure of any mammal — around 280/180 mmHg. To stop that pressure from blacking out the brain when the head drops to drink, a fine mesh of vessels called the rete mirabile buffers the surge, and tight skin on the legs acts like a compression stocking. Giraffe cardiovascular biology is now studied for clues to human hypertension. See the giraffe heart and blood pressure.
That long, dark tongue
A giraffe's tongue is a precision tool: 45–50 cm long, muscular, and prehensile enough to strip leaves from between acacia thorns. Its dark bluish-purple colour is thought to be natural sun protection during the long hours a giraffe spends feeding with its tongue exposed. Tough papillae and thick saliva let it handle spines that would injure most animals. More in the giraffe tongue.
What giraffes eat
Giraffes are browsers, not grazers — they live off the leaves, shoots, and pods of trees and shrubs, especially acacias (Vachellia and Senegalia). A big male can eat around 30 kg of foliage a day and spend most of its waking hours feeding. They get most of their water from plants, which lets them survive long dry spells, and they occasionally chew old bones (osteophagia) for minerals. Because their whole diet depends on trees, loss of browse is one of the biggest threats to their survival — the link between biology and conservation could not be more direct. See what do giraffes eat.
Spots: a coat like a fingerprint
No two giraffes share the same coat pattern, and the pattern stays stable for life — which is why researchers identify individuals from photographs of their spots. Patterns differ systematically between species (the reticulated giraffe's sharp "net" versus the Masai's ragged leaves) and are partly heritable and linked to calf survival. The spots may also work as thermal windows, releasing heat through networks of blood vessels beneath them. The science is in giraffe coat pattern.
Baby giraffes
A giraffe pregnancy lasts about 15 months, and because females give birth standing, the calf's first experience of the world is a 1.5–2 metre fall — a jolt that helps start its breathing. Newborns are already about 1.8 m tall, and can stand and run within hours, which they need to: more than half of calves are lost to predators in the first year. Mothers gather young into "calving pools" or crèches for shared protection. Because calf survival drives population trends, it is a central focus of giraffe conservation.
How giraffes behave
Giraffes were long dismissed as silent and solitary. Both are myths. They live in fission–fusion societies — herds whose membership shifts day to day — with evidence of matrilineal structure and "grandmother" roles that help calves survive. They communicate partly through low-frequency infrasound below human hearing, spar by "necking," sleep only briefly (often standing), and can sprint at ~60 km/h. Explore giraffe behaviour and social structure.
The giraffe's closest relative: the okapi
The giraffe's only living relative is the okapi, a secretive forest animal from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It looks nothing like a giraffe at first — smaller, with zebra-striped legs — but shares the tell-tale ossicones, long dark prehensile tongue, and the family Giraffidae. Meet it in giraffe vs okapi.
How many giraffe species are there?
Since August 2025, the IUCN recognises four giraffe species — northern, reticulated, Masai, and southern — replacing the old idea of one species with nine subspecies. Genetically they are as distinct as brown bears and polar bears. The change matters because it makes each species' conservation needs visible. Full detail in the four giraffe species.
Are giraffes endangered? The numbers
The giraffe was listed Vulnerable in 2016 after a decades-long "silent extinction." Today about 140,700 survive, with three of four species recovering — but the northern giraffe, at ~7,000, remains one of the world's most threatened large mammals. The status varies sharply by species and region: see are giraffes endangered and how many giraffes are left.
How you can help
Giraffes recover when their land is protected, their rangers are paid, and their numbers are counted. That is what turns a fact page into a future for the species. If these facts made you care, the practical next step — including how to vet any wildlife charity before giving — is in how to help giraffes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a group of giraffes called?
A tower. When giraffes move together in a line they're sometimes poetically called a "journey," but "tower" is the standard collective noun.
How many bones are in a giraffe's neck?
Seven — exactly the same number as in a human neck. Each vertebra is simply enormously elongated, up to around 25 cm.
What sound does a giraffe make?
Giraffes are not silent. They grunt, snort, and moan, communicate partly through infrasound below human hearing, and have been recorded humming at night. See giraffe behaviour.
How fast can a giraffe run?
Up to about 60 km/h (37 mph) in short bursts, using a distinctive gait in which both legs on the same side move together.
What do giraffes eat and drink?
They browse tree leaves — mostly acacia — eating up to ~30 kg a day, and get most of their water from those leaves, so they can go long periods without drinking. See what do giraffes eat.
How long do giraffes live?
About 25 years in the wild and up to 28+ years in human care. More in giraffe lifespan.
What is the giraffe's closest relative?
The okapi, a forest animal from the DR Congo — the only other living member of the family Giraffidae. See giraffe vs okapi.
Keep reading
- The four giraffe species, explained
- Are giraffes endangered? The 2025 answer
- How to help giraffes (and vet a charity first)
Sources
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation — facts about giraffe
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — giraffe
- IUCN — Four giraffe species officially recognised (2025)
- GCF — State of Giraffe 2025
Reviewed against IUCN, Giraffe Conservation Foundation, and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance sources. Last updated July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us — a reference earns trust by correcting fast.