The short answer
Giraffes are browsers, not grazers: they eat the leaves, shoots, flowers, and pods of trees and shrubs — above all acacias — rather than grass. A big male can consume around 30 kg of foliage a day and spend most of its waking hours feeding. Giraffes get most of their water from the plants they eat, which lets them survive long dry spells, and their whole feeding system — from a 45-cm tongue to a four-chambered stomach — is built to strip nutritious leaves from thorny trees. Because that diet depends entirely on trees, losing browse is one of the biggest threats to giraffes.
What giraffes actually eat
Giraffes are highly selective feeders that concentrate on a few favoured plants:
- Acacias (now classified as Vachellia and Senegalia) — the classic giraffe food, rich in protein despite fearsome thorns.
- Combretum, Commiphora, Terminalia, and other savanna and woodland trees and shrubs.
- Leaves and new shoots for protein and moisture; flowers and seed pods seasonally for energy.
- Occasionally chewing old bones (osteophagia) to top up minerals like calcium and phosphorus — a striking sight in an otherwise plant-eating animal.
A giraffe's height lets it feed in a band 4–6 metres up that shorter herbivores cannot reach, so it rarely competes directly for food with zebra, antelope, or even elephants.
How much, and for how long
Feeding dominates a giraffe's day. Estimates put daily intake at up to roughly 30 kg of vegetation for a large adult, gathered over many hours — a giraffe may spend well over half its waking time browsing, especially in the cooler parts of the day. Like cattle and antelope, giraffes are ruminants: they swallow leaves, then later regurgitate and re-chew the "cud," extracting maximum nutrition from tough foliage through a four-chambered stomach and slow microbial fermentation. You may even see a giraffe chewing cud while walking.
Handling thorns without getting hurt
Eating acacia means eating around thorns up to several centimetres long. Giraffes are superbly equipped for it:
- A 45–50 cm prehensile tongue that wraps around branches and strips leaves with precision — see the giraffe tongue.
- Tough, dexterous lips and a narrow muzzle to work between spines.
- Thick, sticky saliva that coats any thorns swallowed and may have antiseptic properties, protecting the mouth and gut.
- Papillae (small projections) lining the mouth for extra protection.
Acacias fight back chemically, too — some flood their leaves with bitter tannins when browsed and even signal neighbouring trees. Giraffes counter by feeding briefly at each tree, moving on, and often browsing into the wind so downwind trees can't be "warned" in time.
Where the water comes from
One of the giraffe's best survival tricks is hydration through food. Leaves are far moister than grass, so giraffes can go days or longer without drinking, which is invaluable in drought-prone savanna. When they do drink, they must splay their front legs and lower the head far below the heart — awkward and briefly dangerous — so getting most of their water from browse is a real advantage.
A giraffe is, in effect, a two-metre-tall leaf specialist — and a tree that loses its leaves loses its giraffes.
Why diet is a conservation issue
Because giraffes live entirely off trees and shrubs, their fate is tied to the health of woody vegetation. When savanna is cleared for farming, cut for charcoal, or degraded by drought, the browse disappears and giraffes have nowhere to feed. This is why habitat loss is the master threat to the species, and why protecting and restoring habitat — native trees, corridors, drought refuges — is the foundation of giraffe conservation. Feed the trees and you feed the giraffes.
Keep reading
- The giraffe tongue: a 45-cm browsing tool
- Where do giraffes live? Habitat and range
- Protecting giraffe habitat
Sources
Reviewed against 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.