Giraffes are the tallest living land mammals in the world, at around 19 feet.

During their 25-year lifespan they will grow to weigh about one ton. Their natural habitats are the woodlands south of the Sahara Desert and the African Savannah.

Giraffes rarely lie down. They even sleep and give birth standing up.

Since they can survive on the water naturally stored in plants, their strictly vegetarian diet allows them to go without water for several weeks.

The female usually endures a fifteen month pregnancy around the age of eight. Her kin will grow up to four feet in the first year of life.

Because of their incredible height giraffes may sometimes find it hard to stretch their long necks far enough to reach things close to the ground such as food and water. Their tongues which can be up to 21 inches long come in handy for this purpose.

Like fingerprints, no two giraffes have the same spot pattern on their bodies.

Scientists originally concluded that giraffes do not make sounds to communicate with each other. Despite these observations, new research has shown that giraffes certainly do make sounds, but they are not able to be heard by the human ear.