giraffe

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>.

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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

giraffebarf, 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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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Giraffe trivia safari.(Neighbor)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 8/16/2001
Giraffes' long necks useful for reaching food, spotting...
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 2/20/2008
Giraffes make comeback.(News)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 11/8/2009

Facts and information from other sites

giraffe images
giraffe. (Image by Calips, GFDL)