Giraffe

GiraffeThe giraffe is an African mammal and is famous for being the tallest land-dwelling animal as well as the largest of all ruminants.

These animals inhabit grasslands, woodlands, savannas and places with an abundance of acacia trees but will move into areas with denser vegetation if food becomes scarce. They can consume upwards of 29kgs (60lb) of leaves and twigs a day and of course their long necks enable them to reach and browse branches of trees which are inaccessible to most other animals. They are equipped with  extremely tough mouths and tongues and eating vegetation with vicious thorns is taken in their stride. Although their preferred diet is acacia (which is itself very thorny and sometimes known as the Thorn Tree), they will also eat fruit and grass. They have the advantage of being able to drink large quantities of water when available and this allows them to survive for extended periods in dry and arid conditions.

Giraffes tend to live in groups of around twelve. Other herbivores are also happy to mix with them as they gain obvious benefits from the giraffe's ability to have a better overview of an area and to watch out for predators from their high vantage point.

A giraffe's coat is very distinctive and is unique to each individual animal. It has characteristic brown patches separated by lighter hair. Both sexes have horns which are formed from cartilage and these horns make it possible to identify the sex of a giraffe - females have tufts of hair growing on top of their horns whereas males' horns are generally bald on top.

The front legs of a giraffe are approximately 10% longer than its hind legs, they can sprint for a short distance and are capable of reaching speeds of 60km per hour. They stand between 4.0m and 5.5m. (14' to 18') high and the tallest recorded male stood almost 6m (20') tall. A newborn measures around 1.8m (6'). Male giraffes weigh between 800kgs and 1,930kgs and females between 550kgs and 1,800kgs.

Surprisingly, a giraffe can be dangerous and difficult prey although lions are generally the only predator to pose a serious threat to an adult. A giraffe can pack a hefty kick and is quite capable of shattering a lion's skull or breaking its spine.

In the wild the lifespan of a giraffe is around thirteen years but in captivity it can be up to 25 years.

One final interesting giraffe fact - they only require between ten minutes and two hours sleep in a 24 hour period thus making them one of the world's shortest sleeping mammals.

Toys That Teach A great part of Hansa's mission is to educate children and adults alike about the world's animals and so, as well as being very close plush recreations of the original, every Hansa toy comes with a 'Toys That Teach' tag, which describes each animal's:

- Habitat
- Lifestyle
- Gestation period
- Care of young
- Eating habits

So you not only get a wonderful soft toy but also an understanding of the animal and its behaviour in its very own kingdom.