Giraffes have a thick spotted coat and a long tail which is useful for brushing away flies. The Giraffe can have up to five blunt, short horns called ‘ossicones’.

Diet: Giraffe are herbivores. Because of their long necks they are able to eat the leaves from taller trees such as acacia and wild apricot which gives them an advantage over other herbivores. They also eat shoots, fruit and other vegetation. Giraffe are also known as browsers.

In the wild: Female Giraffe, or ‘cows’, mate with local dominant males, ‘bulls’. These bulls compete with each other by swaying and curling necks. Newborns are kept away from the main herd by the mother for the first 10–30 days and weaning takes place by 13 months. Lions, Spotted Hyaenas and leopards are the natural predators of young Giraffe.

Threats: Traditional hunting, poaching for the tourist trade and habitat loss have contributed to the declining numbers and, in some cases, the complete extinction of Giraffe from some areas of their former range.

Adopt a Giraffe at Perth Zoo and support your favourite animal, protect other threatened species and help important conservation work around the world.