CHARACTERISTICS

Head to body length : 3.8-5.8 m (12.6-19.3 ft.)
Tail Length : 0.8-1 m (2.7-3.3 ft.)
Height  Male : 4.6-5.5 m (15-18 feet ) / Female : 4-4.8 m (13-16 feet)

Weight :  Male : 800-1,930 kg (1,765-4,255 lbs) / Female : 550-1,180 kg (1,215-2,600 lbs

Black Tongue length  : 18 inches  

Description :   Reticulated giraffes have  buff-colored with irregularly shaped, brown or rust-colored spots.  The spots are darken with age, and no two  other giraffes have exactly the same pattern, they are the Rothschild and Masai. They have a long tail with a dark tuft at the end, and a short mane down the back of the neck.  They have 2-4 short horns.  Their black tongue  is prehensile (used for grasping).

Range - Northeast Kenya which is South of the Sahara Desert

Habitat -  Reticulated giraffes are found on the dry savannah and open woodlands

Diet - Various species of acacias. They also browse from the leaves and shoots of trees or shrubs of other species, but they are selective in the wild. In the Zoo they eat Alfalfa hay and pellets, apples, carrots, bananas and browse (elm and alder are favorites).

Status - Half of all giraffe calves are killed by predators during their first year. some populations being wiped out in Kenya to provide tourists with fly swatters, bags or buckets

Reason for the Status - hunting by humans, and habitat destruction

What type of animal is it - herbivores.

Gestation : 13 - 15 months

Longevity : 25 years

Reticulated Giraffe