Giraffe

About This Project

The largest land animal!

Giraffes can reach an unbeatable height of 5.5 metres. Other notable statistics: legs 2 metres long, a tongue of over 40 cm, and a 14-month gestation period…
What is more, each giraffe has its own unique markings, making them easy to identify individually!

La Barben zoo has a large herd of giraffes, with regular births. It is currently composed of a young male, 3 females and two calves, born in June 2013 and January 2014.
They are ambassadors for their relatives still living in West Africa: with barely 400 individuals left in Niger, the remarkable work being done by the Association pour la Sauvegarde des Girafes du Niger (ASGN) is particularly significant.

This species is included in the European Endangered Species Programme set up by zoos to ensure the survival of the species.

Latin name: Giraffa camelopardalis
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Giraffidae
Size: 4.5 to 5.7 m tall
Weight: 0.6 – 1.9 tonnes
Lifespan: 20 – 25 years
Gestation: 14 – 15 months
Number of young: 1, occasionally 2
Habitat: savannah
Diet: herbivorous
Distribution: West, East and South Africa.
Conservation status: Vulnerable

Category
Mammalia