Giraffe Conservation Network

09/14/2019

It’s a late night !!
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Why you ask? Well one, because it is a full moon Friday the 13th (pretty awesome on its own) and two, we are going to talk sleep- or at least lack thereof!
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Giraffes have the shortest sleep requirement of all mammals. They only sleep for minutes at a time helping keep them alert for predators. Adults can sleep fully standing in a state of half-sleep to help protect the younger giraffe.
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Giraffe sleep times vary between captivity and wild but one thing that is consistent is their sleep is intermittent. Sleep is not a big concern to the giraffe. When they do stop to sleep it is only for minutes at a time. In the wild it has been observed that they normally sleep for no more than 5 minutes at a time, sleeping no more than 30 minutes a day. They sleep standing with their head resting back on their body. They do lie down with their legs folded under their body keeping their necks held high. The giraffe continues to browse and ruminate in this resting position.
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In captivity, they still sleep intermittently but they have been observed sleeping up to 4 hours in a day.
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So while we enjoy this beautiful full moon, the giraffe enjoy much of the night regardless of the moon! Still, take a moment to look up and enjoy!!
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09/10/2019

Clement and Walter are up checking out the progress on their barn!
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09/06/2019

Let’s talk about that sweet smile!! For this we are going to look into the mouth!
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Did you know that humans and giraffe have the same amount of teeth!!! That’s right, humans and giraffe have 32 teeth. 🦷 However, giraffes have no upper front teeth and most their teeth are molars.
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The giraffe uses its lips and tongue to grab leaves and twigs to eat. A series of papillae protect the lips, tongue, and interior of the mouth from the dangerous thorns of the plants and trees that giraffes love to eat, like the Acacia tree. Their tongue varies in shades of dark black, blue, and purple. This is due to the density of dark ‘melanin’ color pigments in them. There’s still no definitive explanation for this, but the leading theory is that the melanin provides extra UV protection, preventing their tongues from getting sunburnt as they feed up high.
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Don’t worry about them reaching their favorite leaves, their tongue is about 20 inches (50 cm) long!! Making it so they can reach all the leaves they want!
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Their tongue is prehensile, which means giraffes have fine-tuned muscular control over it. This allows them to grasp and pull leaves and twigs into their mouths. It is also used to keep their nose clean. 🦒🤧
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09/05/2019

Well ain’t that the cutest night vision giraffe butt you’ve ever seen!! 🦒💙
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08/30/2019

Happy Giraffe Fact Friday!!! ⚡️🦒⚡️We are going to run right into this one!
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Giraffe have the longest stride of all land mammals with speeds recorded up to 38 mph (60km/h)! They have a unique way of running, left legs followed the right legs in a peculiar loping gait. Their top speed can only be maintained over a short distance. Normal giraffe cruising/walking speed is more around 10 mph (16km/h).
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The loping stride is relatively unique in the animal kingdom. When giraffe run they move both their left legs first, then both their right legs. Most ungulate animals, such as horses, walk just like this – left, left, right, right. However, they switch to a different rhythm when trotting and galloping – left, right, left, right.
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When running giraffe keep up the same stride pattern as when they are walking. They just do it a little quicker. Their rear legs cross on the outside of their front legs and provide most of the forward momentum.
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Side Fact, since we are talking legs, the giraffe front legs are about 10% longer than their rear legs!
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08/29/2019

Stand tall, even when you stand alone!
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08/26/2019

It’s a step in the right direction, a very small baby step but a step.

International trade of giraffes will now be regulated, but habitat loss and bush meat poaching remain the predominant threats to the species.

08/26/2019

For those of you still looking for Walter from our post, here is a zoomed in and filtered photo for you! Walter is leaning down looking right at you through the trees! 🦒
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Here at GCN we take great pride in caring for our boys as well as being ready to take on any giraffe that needs sanctuary! A huge part of their continued care comes from your donations. We want to thank everyone who has donated and those who continue to donate. We couldn’t be doing all this without you!
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Don’t forget an easy way to donate, that won’t cost you a penny, is signing into Smile.Amazon.com and selecting Giraffe Conservation Network as your charity. Then all you have to do is your normal shopping!! Smile.Amazon will donate 0.05% of your purchases to GCN.
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Thank you again for your support and joining us to for the Giraffe!!
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08/23/2019

It is Giraffe Fact Friday!!! And we have a fun one!
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The Giraffe is the world’s tallest mammal so one would think they would be easy to spot right? Wrong! The keyword there is, spot! That's right, those beautiful spots giraffes are known for are not just for good looks!
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There are very few studies on giraffes and their spots. From what has been studied this is what is known:
*Giraffes inherit their spot patterns from their mothers and those spot patterns make a difference in the young giraffes' ability to survive.
*A giraffe's spots are much like human fingerprints. No two individual giraffes have exactly the same pattern.
*Under their fur, giraffes have dark gray skin with no spots at all. It is their fur that has spots. The spots can be round, oval or abstract, with sharp or smooth edges, and every shape and state of definition in between. They're variable, but the spots remain the same throughout the giraffe's lifetime.
*The spots on the bodies of giraffes offer them some protection in the wild. The camouflage from the spots helps young giraffes blend in with their environment. Those spots can also be confusing to predators.
*The spots may also impact the animal’s ability to regulate its temperature, besides perhaps having other unknown but useful properties.
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Now you know a little more about the science behind the beauty!!
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Speaking of camouflage, were you able to ”spot” Walter in the picture above???
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08/21/2019

We are thrilled and excited to announce that Clement and Walter have moved in quite peacefully and are enjoying their new home!!!
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Here at GCN, we are not only here to help educate and spread awareness but we are also here to provide sanctuary! Whether a giraffe is getting too old for someone to care for, somewhere is running out of space and they need to let one go, the giraffe is not the right subspecies for their breeding program, no matter the reason, we are here to offer them a home.
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08/16/2019

It’s Friday!!! And we love Fridays at GCN as much as we love giraffe kisses! Why, because it is Giraffe Fact Friday!! Today’s is dedicated to those cute fuzzy “horns” on the Giraffe’s head!
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They are actually not called horns, they are ossicones and both female and male giraffe have them. Ossicones are formed from ossified cartilage and are covered in skin ending in a tuft of black hair. Giraffe are born with their ossicones, however, they lie flat and are not fused to the skull to avoid injury at birth.
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While female ossicones are often thin and tufted, male giraffe normally have thicker ossicones that become bald on top as a result of frequent necking. In some species males grow a second pair of ossicones behind the first pair, as well as prominent ossicone in front of the main pair. The median ossicone of the male adult Northern and Reticulated giraffe are on average considerably larger than those of the Masai and Southern giraffe.
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Ossifications on the head of male giraffe add weight, which increases with age enabling them to deliver heavier blows during necking contests. Fatal necking is rare but can happen.
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The giraffe inherited the ossicones from their extinct relative called Sivatherium. The Sivatherium had two impressive sets of antler-like ossicones.
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08/16/2019

Clement and Walter are quite the majestic duo.
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