Rothschild giraffe

The giraffe family consists of the okapi and giraffe, both of which live in Africa. The giraffe is widespread in the savannahs south of the Sahara.

Long-necked animals live in flocks of up to 50 individuals, but are often widely dispersed over a large area and there is a constant turnover of flock members. They spend a large part of the day foraging, while the hottest part of the day is spent chewing their cud.

With their long necks, they can eat food that no other herbivore can reach. The 45-centimetre-long tongue allows the animal to reach leaves without being stung by thorns. The hungry giraffe feeds 12 hours a day and can eat around 60 kilos of leaves and shoots per day.

The giraffe's web pattern is characteristic of each individual in the same way as human fingerprints. The pattern acts as camouflage, as it resembles leaf shadows, but probably also as individual characteristics.

Observations in zoos have shown that the giraffe sleeps less than an hour in 24 hours.

• Distribution: Uganda and Kenya
• Population: The Rothschild's giraffe has declined greatly in Uganda. In general, the giraffe is common in East Africa
• Weight: Male: 800-1,930 kilos. Female: 550-1,180 kilos
• Height: Male: 4.7-5.3 metres. Female: 3.9-4.5 metres
• Mating season: All year round
• Gender: Male: From approximately 3.5 years of age. Female: From 4-5 years of age.
• Gestation: 453-464 days
• Number of cubs: 1, rarely 2
• Zoo menu: Hay, branches, soya meal, corn flakes, fruit, vegetables, concentrates and minerals
• Lifespan: Up to 25 years in the wild. Can grow older in captivity
• Latin name: Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi 

What is a Rothschild giraffe?

There are four different giraffe species, and at Aalborg Zoo we have Rothschild giraffes. The species can be recognised by their legs being completely white and without spots from the knees down. The species is also called the "five-horned" giraffe because in addition to the two large horns on top of the head, it also has two smaller bumps on the back of the head and a horn on the nose, which is most obvious in the older males. The other species differ, for example, in their head shape or the colour and shape of their spots. However, there can also be large colour differences within the same species. There is a slight tendency for males and older giraffes to be slightly darker in pattern, but Aalborg Zoo also has a female that is very dark.

Sleeping standing up

The nervous temperament of giraffes also means that they very rarely lie down. It takes quite a long time to get a lying giraffe to its feet and it's simply too dangerous for the wild giraffes, so they sleep standing up. However, this is not the case at Aalborg Zoo. Almost every morning, the keepers come across lying giraffes in the stables, and sometimes it can even be difficult to get them out of the straw and onto the savannah. In the summer, you can often see the whole herd lying quietly under the open sky on the savannah. The keepers take this as a sign that the giraffes feel safe in the garden.

EA specialised ruminant

The giraffes' primary food source is leaves from the acacia tree. With their tongue, which is almost half a metre long, they fish leaves from between the long, needle-sharp spines of the acacia tree. The tongue is rough and rough, and a lot of mucus makes it easier to slide off the sharp spines. The tongue is also very dark, almost black, because the giraffe stands with its tongue out of its mouth for so many hours in the bright sun that it would get sunburnt if it were pink.

Giraffes are ruminants like cows, so food has to be regurgitated all the way up their long necks to be chewed a second time. It can look very strange because you can follow the ball of food all the way up the throat before the cheeks flush out and the mouth fills up again. Although giraffes chew rumen like cows, their stomachs cannot tolerate regular hay. They need food that is leaf-based rather than grass-based. At the Zoo, they are therefore fed a special alfalfa hay. They also get concentrate and branches where they eat bark and leaves, and a special African pellet made from crushed acacia wood.