The world's tallest mammal grazes among the acacia trees in the sub-saharan savanna. Though a male giraffe can stand just over 18 feet, he will only have seven cervical vertebrae in his neck. This is the same number of cervical vertebrae as you and I have, and of course the trend continues for most mammals. A recent genetic study has found that there are four different species of giraffe: the Northern giraffe, the Southern giraffe, the Masai giraffe, and the Reticulated giraffe. That is to say, that these giraffes groups cannot produce fertile offspring through interbreeding.

Giraffe groups are becoming more and more isolated from each other and the primary reason for this is habitat loss. Agriculturalists who share the savanna with these graceful creatures exploit the land to such extent that it becomes unsuitable for giraffes. Humans are the giraffes' top predator, followed by lions and crocodiles. Most often, giraffes are poached for their tails, meat, and hide. Hair from a giraffes tail is used in sewing, jewelry making, and many other creative uses in many African communities. Sometimes, the giraffe is poached simply to give the hunter a sense of pride, though the giraffe is not a particularly difficult animal to kill. Because of their vulnerability, giraffes will sleep standing up in five minute increments throughout the day, the total of which comes out to 30 minutes for every 24 hours. They aren't completely defenseless against other animals. Giraffes are born with ossicones (horn-like protrusions) on their heads. They use these when fighting off predators by swinging their heads in the predators general direction. Ossicones are also used when two male giraffes fight each other in order to secure breeding rights with a herd of females. These are the only situations when the giraffe has been observed producing violent behavior; otherwise, they are known to be peaceful creatures.

The African Wildlife Foundation, or AWF, is currently working with African communities who share space with these tall creatures in order to implement environmentally friendly farming practices and ultimately better conserve the quickly declining giraffe population. In the past fifteen years, the giraffe population has decreased from 140,000 individuals to just around 97,000 individuals today. For more information on what you can do to help conserve African wildlife, feel free to visit the AWF website.