Zingela Safaris

Savanna with high proportion of Acacia species.

Giraffe are semi gregarious animals, and can be found in groups of about 7 or 8 individuals, or singly( normally old bulls). Concentrations of 40 and 50 Giraffe are common. It as nothing to do with social ties, but rather with a concentration of their favoured foods on that specific location. Although they are one of the favourite prey of Lion, very often the predator will come off second best, as Giraffe can deliver devastating blows with their forelegs. Fighting amongst Giraffe bulls is not uncommon, and is limited to an alternate strike at each other with their heads. Giraffe associate, very often, with Impala, Baboons, Zebra and Wildebeest. Although they have an extremely long neck, it has the same amount of vertebrae as any other mammal, but they very elongated an attached to one another with ball and socket joints. Giraffe have a massive heart, with walls more than 7cm thick, in order to pump the blood about 2,5 meters up to the brain. Male Giraffe can attain a height of about 5,5 meters and weigh about 1500 Kg. Their lifespan is about 20 years.

Giraffe are browsers. Eats soil to obtain minerals and very commonly chews bones, especially in areas where the soil is deficient in phosphorus.

They give birth for the first time at about 6 years of age, to a single calf, that after a couple of hours is able to follow his mother. The gestation period is 450 to 457 days. Birth weight is 100kg. and shoulder height of a newborn is 1,5m.