When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. A giraffe walking through the grasslands in Masai Mara, Kenya. These tall animals are giraffe cakes for adults by their long necks, equally long and spindly legs, and spotted coats.

Most giraffes have a tan, white or yellow coats that are spotted with brown, square shapes. The animal’s legs are also 6 feet long. Giraffes have unusually skinny legs for such large animals, but specialized bone structure allows them to support immense weight. With such a massive body, it makes sense that the giraffes’ organs and other body parts are equally huge.

They like semi-arid, open woodlands that have scattered trees and bushes, making the savannas perfect for these animals. A group of giraffes is aptly called a tower, according to the U. Towers typically have 10 to 20 members. Who lives in the tower can vary.

Some towers consist of all females and their young, or all male or mixed genders. Giraffes only sleep around 20 minutes or less per day, according to PBS Nature. Staying awake most of the time allows them to be constantly on alert for predators. They usually get their sleep in quick power naps that last just a couple of minutes. Every giraffe has two hair-covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use their horns to playfully fight with one another.

They also spar by swinging their heads at one another and entwining their necks, which is called “necking. Their long necks allow them to reach leaves, seeds, fruits, buds and branches high up in mimosa and acacia trees. Though these animals eat a lot, giraffes can go without drinking for weeks at a time. They get most of their moisture from the vegetation they eat. The new Rothschild’s giraffe calf takes her first steps. As in cattle, female giraffes are called cows, while the males are called bulls.