Giraffes are the tallest mammal in the world. The male is about 5m tall and the female is just a little shorter. They have very long neck and legs. A giraffe has a strong heart which pumps at a pressure two or three times that of a healthy man to push blood up its long neck. A giraffe weighs over 1,000 kilograms and can live about 20-30 years.
Giraffes sometimes lie down with their legs which are folded under the body. Interestingly, they are very difficult to stand up because of their heavy weight. Their neck has to swing back and fore to balance and get the fore and hind legs up. Therefore giraffes mostly sleep standing.
They drink water only when it is available. They can go for long period without drinking water. When they are drinking, their fore legs spread apart and neck lowered, it is a very dangerous position that a lion might attack easily.
Giraffes are gentle and timid animals and live in loose social groups. Male giraffes often stay alone, joining the females only to mate.
A new born giraffe is able to walk within an hour after birth. It is about 1.8 metres high and weighs about 48 kilograms. The young one grows very fast because giraffe's milk contains a lot of fat. The mother nurses the young for about 10 months. After that, the baby takes care of itself.