How do giraffes mate?
Kids cover your ears?
So what do you think you're here to do today?
Hi, my name is Anusia
and I'm here to answer the most searched questions on Giraffes.
Do giraffes have vocal cords?
Yes, they do. They do have vocal cords.
They actually hum to each other, but we can't hear it.
It's only at a frequency that other giraffes can hear.
Can giraffes cough?
Yes, they can cough.
Some people probably think that they wouldn't be able to
because they have really long necks and to bring it all out and do a massive cough.
But they can cough.
I have been covered in saliva and food before from a giraffe coughing on me.
So not great.
Can giraffes vomit?
Yes, they do vomit.
It is called cud, so like cows, they bring up the vomit
and they will rechew it, which is a bit gross,
But then to swallow it and redigest it.
So yes, they do.
How do giraffes mate?
the male, will try and encourage the female to urinate
and then taste it to see whether she is ready to mate
and then they will go for it so she will stand still and he will mount her.
And all the business happens.
How do giraffes give birth, so I've been quite lucky,
And I have seen the full process of a giraffe giving birth.
It is scary, but it is one of the most amazing
things I've ever seen.
It does take quite a few hours and you'll see two little
feet at the top of the vagina coming out and then the little nose will come
and then the head
And then eventually, when the shoulders come through, the baby will fall straight to the ground.
Lots of people think that it drops about six foot, though, it's not really six foot.
By the time that head is down there, it's probably about a foot or so to go.
Do giraffes sleep standing up?
Yes, they do, but they also sit down.
We like to call them cat naps.
They don't have any awareness of where they are
they literally just stand there and they'll fall asleep with their eyes open,
so yes, they do sleep standing up, but also sit down.
Why do giraffes have horns?
So they are called ossicones.
If you tell a giraffe keeper,
well, why have they got horns?
they're ossicones, we get a bit touchy about that.
Ossicones, the males will use them for fighting other males,
and the females use them to protect their young from predators.
you don't really see them using it, only play fighting or amongst males in their if they're in a bachelor
group. When they're born, the ossicones are actually flat against their head.
because that would be quite difficult for a mother to give birth to two little ossicones coming out as well.
So they are flat, and then as they grow up, their ossicones will fuse to the head.
and prop up, and they're very fluffy as well.
Why do giraffes have spots?
So they have spots because they need it for camouflage, which is the main thing.
They also have spots because it helps them with their thermoregulation.
So through the spot
they will release heat from their body, not the white bits, just the brown
spots,
so this helps them regulate their temperature.
Why do giraffes have blue tongues?
Sometimes they don't have blue tongues.
it's black or purple,
but they are dark.
So there's two reasons.
So one is they do eat a lot of acacia out in the wild,
and acacia has really long spikes.
The black tongue, blue tongue
doesn't have many blood vessels in it, so they won't bleed
so that prevents them from bleeding all over the place.
So that's why it's blue or black.
The other one is if they are eating all day, their tongue is out most of the day
and because they come from Africa, it's very, very hot.
The sun is always shining
it prevents it from getting sunburnt.
And I don't think I'd like a burnt tongue, but that's what would happen to us!
Why do giraffes have long necks?
Lots of people ask that question.
They have long necks because they need to reach the top of those trees to get all the good leaves.
Lots of people ask how many bones they have in their necks.
They have seven. Same as us, but we don't have a neck that long.
I think we'd all look a bit weird if we had really long necks.
But it is mainly to reach all those leaves at the top of the tree.
These are the questions that I get asked every day and they're the facts that I actually need to know from my job.
So to me, they're really normal, but to everyone else, they're probably really unique
and different questions, but nothing strange or weird, at the zoo.