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BABY GIRAFFES! | Wild Kratts "Neck and Neck"

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Before we get into today's Wonder of the Day, how about a riddle? Here it is: What's black and white and red all over?

Do you know the answer? It's a zebra with a sunburn!

Okay, one more... what's black and white and has a giraffe cousin?

Does that one have you stumped? The answer is an animal many people haven't heard of. But don't worry, we've got you covered. Today's Wonder of the Day is the okapi!

At first glance, you might think the okapi is a of the zebra. That's because its legs are striped black and white. However, this rare animal is most closely related to its long-necked cousin, the giraffe. But okapis don't have long necks. They aren't as tall as giraffes, either. Fully grown, adult okapis are about five feet tall and weigh up to 770 pounds.

Why don't okapis have long necks like giraffes? The two animals live in very different environments. While giraffes need their long legs and necks to help them reach food from tall trees on the , okapis' food is much closer to the ground.

All the okapis in the world live in the same . You'll find them in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In these forests, okapis don't have to reach as far for their food. They eat leaves from nearby branches, as well as clay and burned wood from the ground.

If you'd like to see an okapi for yourself, your best bet is to visit the zoo. In the wild, okapis are very shy. They tend to hide when they hear people coming, and their coats help okapis camouflage themselves in the rainforest. Their dark bodies are hard to see in dim light, and their striped legs often blend in with light shining through tree branches.

In fact, okapis are so good at hiding that they went unseen by scientists until 1901. Even people to DRC rainforests rarely spot an okapi, although they do sometimes accidentally catch them in hunting traps. This makes it very difficult for scientists to measure the okapi population . Currently, they it to be around 4,500.

However, okapis' coloring does help them find each other. In fact, their stripes are sometimes called "follow me stripes." That's because they're thought to help young okapis follow their mothers through the rainforests.

And zebra-like stripes aren't the only interesting feature of okapis. They also have unique ears that they can move independently of each other. This helps okapis listen for sounds coming from different directions at the same time. Male okapis also have short antlers on their heads. Female okapis have small bumps on their heads, much like giraffes.

Okapis are listed as a threatened species because of their low population . However, efforts to protect their habitats and grow the population in zoos make many hopeful for this rare species. You can find this zebra look-alike in zoos across the world. What other animal look-alikes might you see while you're there?

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Before we get into today's Wonder of the Day, how about a riddle? Here it is: What's black and white and red all over? Do you know the answer? It's a zebra with a sunburn! Okay, one more... what's black and white and has a giraffe cousin? Does that one have you stumped?

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Would you want to be a veterinarian with treating a giraffe with a sore throat? Yikes! That must be a big pain. Can you imagine how long it must take giraffe moms to knit scarves for their children before winter sets in?

Maybe that's why so many giraffes live in warm areas. Avoiding colds and sore throats must be a when your is so long. And, speaking of long necks, do you think giraffes have tongues that are as long as their necks?

Not quite! But the giraffe is known for having a long . It's also known for having a that's dark black, blue, or purple in color. So what's the deal with giraffe tongues anyway?

Even though a typical giraffe can as long as six feet, the giraffe's usually measures 18-20 inches long. Why does a giraffe need such a long ? If you liked to eat tree leaves like giraffes do, then you would understand.

The tree's leaves are protected by very sharp thorns. The giraffe's long allows it to reach the highest, tastiest leaves while avoiding the sharp thorns. Its also features a , tough layer that protects it from being cut by the thorns. If a giraffe's does get cut by a , its extra- has antiseptic properties that help it to quickly.

As far as the dark color of the giraffe's , some experts believe it serves a good purpose. Since giraffes spend up to 12 hours each day eating, the 's dark color might protect it from exposure to the Sun's harmful rays, thereby preventing sunburn!

You may be WONDERing why giraffes don't simply choose another tree's leaves to eat. The tastiest leaves often grow high on the tree, which puts them within a giraffe's reach but away from the reach of many other animals. Thus, giraffes have less competition for leaves.

leaves are also an important source of water. Since leaves have high moisture content, eating up to 75 pounds of leaves in a day provides giraffes with much of the water they need to survive. In fact, giraffes can go days without drinking if they have plenty of leaves to eat.

This is important, since drinking water from a river or lake is a very dangerous thing for a giraffe. When a giraffe drinks, it must its legs wide and lower its head all the way to the ground. This leaves it quite vulnerable to predators, so most giraffes prefer to get as much of their water as possible from leaves.

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Would you want to be a veterinarian with treating a giraffe with a sore throat? Yikes! That must be a big pain. Can you imagine how long it must take giraffe moms to knit scarves for their children before winter sets in? Maybe that's why so many giraffes live in warm areas.

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Would you want to be a veterinarian with treating a giraffe with a sore throat? Yikes! That must be a big pain. Can you imagine how long it must take giraffe moms to knit scarves for their children before winter sets in?

Maybe that's why so many giraffes live in warm areas. Avoiding colds and sore throats must be a when your is so long. And, speaking of long necks, do you think giraffes have tongues that are as long as their necks?

Not quite! But the giraffe is known for having a long . It's also known for having a that's dark black, blue, or purple in color. So what's the deal with giraffe tongues anyway?

Even though a typical giraffe can as long as six feet, the giraffe's usually measures 18-20 inches long. Why does a giraffe need such a long ? If you liked to eat tree leaves like giraffes do, then you would understand.

The tree's leaves are protected by very sharp thorns. The giraffe's long allows it to reach the highest, tastiest leaves while avoiding the sharp thorns. Its also features a , tough layer that protects it from being cut by the thorns. If a giraffe's does get cut by a , its extra- has antiseptic properties that help it to quickly.

As far as the dark color of the giraffe's , some experts believe it serves a good purpose. Since giraffes spend up to 12 hours each day eating, the 's dark color might protect it from exposure to the Sun's harmful rays, thereby preventing sunburn!

You may be WONDERing why giraffes don't simply choose another tree's leaves to eat. The tastiest leaves often grow high on the tree, which puts them within a giraffe's reach but away from the reach of many other animals. Thus, giraffes have less competition for leaves.

leaves are also an important source of water. Since leaves have high moisture content, eating up to 75 pounds of leaves in a day provides giraffes with much of the water they need to survive. In fact, giraffes can go days without drinking if they have plenty of leaves to eat.

This is important, since drinking water from a river or lake is a very dangerous thing for a giraffe. When a giraffe drinks, it must its legs wide and lower its head all the way to the ground. This leaves it quite vulnerable to predators, so most giraffes prefer to get as much of their water as possible from leaves.

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Would you want to be a veterinarian with treating a giraffe with a sore throat? Yikes! That must be a big pain. Can you imagine how long it must take giraffe moms to knit scarves for their children before winter sets in? Maybe that's why so many giraffes live in warm areas.

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At an average height of around 5 m (16-18 ft.), the giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world.

Characterized by its long legs, long neck, and distinctive spotted pattern, many people first believed the giraffe was a cross between a leopard and a camel, which is reflected in its scientific name, Giraffa camelopardalis.

Giraffes live primarily in savanna areas in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Their extreme height allows them to eat leaves and shoots located much higher than other animals can reach. In particular, they seek out acacia trees. Their long tongues are helpful in eating because they help pull leaves from the trees. Spending most of the day eating, a full-grown giraffe consumes over 45 kg (100 lb.) of leaves and twigs a day.

The male giraffe is both taller and heavier than the female. Both sexes have skin-covered knobs, called ossicones, on the top of their heads. Female ossicones are smaller and have a small tuft of fur on top, while male ossicones are bald on the top. These knobs are used to protect the head when males fight, which involves swinging their necks at each other in a show of strength called "necking."

When giraffes walk, they move both legs on one side of their body and then both legs on the other side, which is unusual. However, they run in a similar style to other mammals, swinging their rear legs and front legs in unison. They can reach 55 km/h (35 mph) at full speed but only in brief spurts.

Giraffes sleep less than two hours a day. In general, they sleep with their feet tucked under them and their head resting on their hindquarters, but they can also sleep for short periods of time standing up.

Female giraffes can become pregnant at 5 years old. They carry a baby for 15 months and give birth while standing up. Newborns are about 2 m (6 ft.) tall and weigh 70 kg (150 lb.).

They live up to 25 years in the wild.

Conservation Status

Giraffes are classified by IUCN's Red List as vulnerable of extinction. After researchers surveyed the population in trucks, by foot, by aircraft, and by remote cameras, they confirmed the number of giraffes has plummeted 40% since 1985. With some subspecies, such as the reticulated giraffe, the situation is even more dire, with their population declining by nearly 80%.

Giraffes face several threats, including loss of habitat due to logging for firewood. They are also hunted for their meat, hides, and tails, which are valued by many African tribes.

What You Can Do to Help

To help preserve giraffe populations, boycott products made with giraffe body parts and encourage others to do the same.

Giraffe Distribution

Giraffe Resources

Blog Posts about the Giraffe

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Spending most of the day eating, a full-grown giraffe consumes over 45 kg (100 lb) of leaves and twigs a day. Learn more giraffe facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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The giraffe is the tallest living animal. It can reach a height of more than 18 feet (5.5 meters). Giraffes live on the plains of eastern Africa. The scientific name of the…

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Leafy Lunchtime with Giraffes | Sam's Zookeeper Challenge

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Animal Zoo Adventure! Visit the Animals at the ZOO w/ The Wild Adventure Girls! (Zoo Adventure Park)

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What if you could look in a second story window without even standing on your tiptoes? Giraffes can. Giraffes are the tallest mammals. Their legs are 6 feet long and so are their necks. Wild giraffes live only in Africa, but you can see them at the zoo.

Giraffes have only two predators, besides humans, crocodiles and lions. Giraffes are most vulnerable when they are taking a drink at a watering hole. They have to spread their legs wide to lower their necks. In this awkward position, they are easy prey for predators. Usually one giraffe keeps watch while another one gets a drink. If a giraffe is attacked, it kicks its attacker with its long legs and sharp hooves.

Fun Facts about Giraffes for Kids

Giraffes have hearts that are 2 feet long.

A male giraffe is called a Bull, baby giraffes are called Calves and females are called Cows

Giraffes sleep only five to 30 minutes every day. Usually they stand up to sleep. They only lie down if another giraffe can stand watch.

Giraffes can run up to 35 miles per hour.

These tall animals need a lot of food to keep them going. They eat up to 75 pounds of leaves every day. They love the leaves from acacia trees. These trees have long thorns but giraffes can eat around the thorns.

Giraffes have sticky tongues that can be 21 inches long!

A Giraffe gets most of the water they need from the leaves and plants they consume. They only need to drink direct water every few days

Giraffes don't like to be alone, they live in groups called Towers. Giraffes are social animals

Giraffes live wild in the African Savannas

The spots on giraffes are unique, no two giraffes spots are the same, just like humans - no two fingerprints are the same.

Giraffes have horns called ossicones - they are covered by hair and both male and female giraffes have ossicones. Males will sometimes use these horns while fighting.

Giraffe Vocabulary

Learn More All About Giraffes

Watch a video of these adorable giraffes:

A video about a baby giraffe's first steps.

Giraffe Q&A

Question 1: Why do Giraffes have such long eyelashes?

Answer 1: Giraffes have long, lush eyelashes to keep sand out of their eyes.

Question 2: How many babies do Giraffes usually have?

Answer 2: Giraffes usually have just one baby at a time. The baby drops out of the mother 5 feet to the ground.

Question 3: What do Giraffes like to eat?

Answer 3: Acacia leaves and twigs are a Giraffe favorite. They also eat Flowers, Fruits and Vines.

Question 4: How long do Giraffe live in the wild?

Answer 4: It is estimated that a Giraffe can live up to 25 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity (Zoo). They live longer in captivity as they have no predators and plenty of food and shelter. It's still better to see them living outside captivity.

What are the main predators of a Giraffe?

Answer 5: Unfortunately Giraffe have predators such as Lions and sometimes Crocodiles. However, Giraffe are very agile animals and have a great awareness about them, they usually detect any threat of attack and make a run for it. Lions will generally attack a young Giraffe or injured. The Giraffes towering height will deter most predators.

Question 6: Why has a Giraffe such a long neck?

Answer 6: A Giraffe has a long neck for a number of reasons, the long neck allows them to survey the plains and spot predators such as Lions. They can also reach food high on tree branches. A Giraffe will also use their necks for what is called "Necking". Necking is when Giraffes fight. They swing their necks wildly and use their heads as clubs.

Question 7: Are Giraffes endangered?

Answer 7: Unfortunately the giraffe population has decreased by over 30%. Poaching and sprawling cities and towns are the giraffes main threat.

Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Giraffes info? Take the FREE & fun all about Giraffes quiz and download FREE Giraffes worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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What if you could look in a second story window without even standing on your tiptoes? Giraffes can. Giraffes are the tallest mammals. Their legs are 6 feet long and so are their necks. Wild giraffes live only in Africa, but you can see them at the zoo.

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It's time for the lowdown on one of nature's gentle giants! Check out our ten facts about the beautiful giraffe ...

Giraffe facts

1) Giraffes are found in the dry savannahs of Africa, where they roam among the open plains and woodlands.

2) Well known for their long necks, these gentle giants are the world's tallest living land animals. An adult male can grow to around 5.5m - that's taller than three adult humans!

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3) A giraffe's height is helpful for keeping a look out for predators, such as lions and hyenas. Their excellent eyesight allows them to spot hungry beasts from far away, too.

4) Herbivores, giraffes only eat plants. Their favourite grub is the acacia tree, and they use their long necks to reach the leaves and buds in the treetops. Their long tongues (which grow to a whopping 53cm!) also help them pull down leaves growing way up high.

5) And boy do these guys have an appetite! They spend most of their time eating, and can guzzle up to 45kg of leaves and twigs a day!

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable giraffe primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

6) Whilst they may eat a lot, giraffes don't drink much water. This is because they get most of their water from their leafy meals, and only need to drink once every few days.

7) Giraffes are very social animals and roam around in groups. These groups, called towers, typically have around 15 members led by an adult male. The other members are females and young males.

8) To see who is stronger, males (called bulls) fight by butting their long necks and heads. This is known as " necking ". These fights aren't usually dangerous, and end when one bull admits defeat and walks away.

9) Female giraffes give birth standing up. The result? Newborns are welcomed to the world with a 1.5m drop to the ground! Ouch! But these infants are quick to get on their feet - within 30 minutes they are standing, and only hours later they"re able to run with their mothers.

10) In the wild these beautiful creatures live for around 25 years. In captivity they live longer, and have been known to reach 40 years old.

Images ⓒ Getty Images: Giraffe and babies, (10014200). Picture of giraffe with baby: Photograph by Roman Murushkin, Dreamstime. Picture of a baby giraffe: Photograph by Lukas Blazek, Dreamstime. Picture of giraffes eating from trees: Photograph by Warrengoldswain, Dreamstime

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10 giraffe facts! - National Geographic Kids

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Ten facts about giraffes for kids. Learn where giraffes live, what they eat, how tall they grow and more here at National Geographic Kids.

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Many young giraffes, called calves, die from lion attacks during their first year of life. Once a giraffe reaches adulthood its height is often enough to protect it from lions. Adult giraffes, however, must still be careful of lions when they are bending down to drink water or rest. Usually giraffes will drink or rest in shifts so that at least one giraffe is always on the lookout for approaching predators.​

​The giraffes' height and excellent vision give them a wide view of the grasslands where they live, making it easy to spot predators from a distance. Some scientists believe that other animals-such as zebras, antelope, and wildebeests-often congregate near giraffes to take advantage of their ability to see danger from a distance. The giraffe could be considered the early warning system of the African grasslands.

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Giraffes grow about 4 feet (1.2 meters) in their first year of life. A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet (1.9 meters) tall at birth and weighs about 150 pounds (68 kilograms). Many young giraffes, called calves, die from lion attacks during their first year of life.