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giraffe
giraffe African ruminant mammal, Giraffa camelopardalis, living in open savanna S of the Sahara. The tallest of animals, giraffes browse in treetops at heights inaccessible to other leaf-eaters. A male may be 18 ft (5.5 m) from hoof to crown. The neck, which is up to 7 ft (2.1 m) long, has only seven vertebrae, the usual number in mammals, but each is very elongated. The legs are also long and end in large hooves; the body is relatively short. The short horns are covered with skin and hair. Giraffes have large, sandy to chestnut, angular spots closely spaced on a lighter background. They feed chiefly on leaves of acacia and mimosa, using their extensible tongues and mobile lips to secure food. Giraffes travel in small herds led by a male. They can outrun most of their enemies and have been known to kill lions with a kick. They are most vulnerable when spreading their forelegs and lowering their heads to drink; however, they can do without water for long intervals. They are among the very few mammals that cannot swim at all. Females bear a single calf, which is about 6 ft (180 cm) tall at birth. The only other member of the giraffe family is the okapi . Giraffes are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Giraffidae. |
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"giraffe." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "giraffe." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-giraffe.html "giraffe." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-giraffe.html |
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giraffe
giraffe Hoofed, ruminant mammal found in the African savannas; the tallest living mammal. It has a very long neck, a short tufted mane, and two to four skin-covered horns on the head. The legs are long, slender and bony. Their coats are pale brown with red-brown blotches. Height: to 5.5m (18ft). Family Giraffidae; species Giraffa camelopardalis.
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"giraffe." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "giraffe." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-giraffe.html "giraffe." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-giraffe.html |
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giraffe
gi·raffe / jəˈraf/ • n. (pl. same or giraffes) a large African mammal (Giraffa camelopardalis, family Giraffidae) with a very long neck and forelegs, having a coat patterned with brown patches separated by lighter lines. It is the tallest living animal. |
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"giraffe." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "giraffe." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-giraffe.html "giraffe." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-giraffe.html |
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giraffe
giraffe XVII. There are early forms depending on It. giraffa and OF. girafle, and occas. on Arab. zarāfa (ult. source of the word in the Eur. langs.); the present form, hardly established before XVIII, is — F. girafe.
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T. F. HOAD. "giraffe." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "giraffe." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-giraffe.html T. F. HOAD. "giraffe." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-giraffe.html |
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giraffe
giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) See GIRAFFIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "giraffe." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "giraffe." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-giraffe.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "giraffe." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-giraffe.html |
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giraffe
giraffe
•barf, behalf, calf, chaff, coif, giraffe, Graf, graph, half, laugh, scarf, scrum half, staff, strafe, wing half
•headscarf • mooncalf • bar graph
•telegraph • polygraph • epigraph
•serigraph • cardiograph • radiograph
•spectrograph • micrograph
•lithograph • heliograph
•choreograph • tachograph
•stylograph • holograph • seismograph
•chronograph, monograph
•phonograph • paragraph
•cinematograph • pictograph
•autograph • photograph • flagstaff
•jackstaff • distaff • tipstaff • epitaph
•pikestaff • cenotaph
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"giraffe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "giraffe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-giraffe.html "giraffe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-giraffe.html |
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