About Giraffes

Giraffes are the tallest animal in the world. On average they are 14 to 17 feet tall, as tall as a one-story house.  They eat leaves, fruit, twigs, and shoots. Their long legs and necks make it possible for them to eat leaves that most other animals can’t reach. When giraffes eat plants, the plants grow new stems, which helps the plants grow. When giraffes eat seeds, their droppings spread the seeds on the land so that new trees can grow. Giraffes can run up to 35 miles per hour and can close their nostrils to keep the dust out. Each subspecies of giraffe has its own type of brown spot pattern, and each giraffe has its own unique pattern of spots, like fingerprints. The Angolan giraffe has large, uneven spots all the way down its legs. This type of giraffe lives in Namibia, a country in the southwest of Africa where the Ducky Friends series takes place. 

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Conservation

In 1998, there were about 140,000 or more giraffes in Africa. In 2012, there were less 80,000. When the land where giraffes live is cleared for humans to use, giraffes lose food and places to meet with each other. They also catch diseases. There are fewer than 20,000 Angolan giraffes left in the world, which is not many, but the number of Angolan giraffes seems to be growing in Namibia. You can see them at Etosha National Park.
 
There are only 300 West African giraffes, which makes the West African giraffe an endangered species. These giraffes tend to have lighter spots than other giraffes, but the spots on males get darker as they get older. West African giraffes are being protected by Niger, a West African country located in the middle of northern Africa. Many African governments and groups, including the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, are gathering information so that they can better protect giraffes.
 
For more information, you can go to http://www.giraffeconservation.org/, 
​http://www.namibian.org/travel/wildlife/giraffe.html, and http://animals.mom.me/giraffe-own-pattern-spots-2908.html