Species name Giraffa camelelepopardis

Family Giraffidae

Order Artiodactyla

Distribution

The giraffe is found in Africa below the Sahara Desert.

Habitat

The giraffe lives on savanna plains with a lot of Acacia species.

Numbers

Giraffes are common for such large animals. The chief predators are lions and man. The young and the weak may be taken by leopards, wild dogs and hyenas.

Related Species

The rare okapi, which is about the same size as the zebra and has somewhat similar stripes and small horns, is the giraffe┐s closest relative. It is a forest giraffe and is a foliage feeder also. It is highly localised geographically, and although it is protected, it is illegally killed for its meat. The okapi was discovered in the forests of the Congo at the beginning of the 20th century. It was one of the last big mammals to be discovered.

Interesting Facts

The word giraffe is said to be derived from an Arabic word, ┐xirapha┐, which means fast.