"This web page was produced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College."

A Typical Giraffe Day

Have you ever wondered what would it be like to be a giraffe for a day? From the data gathered by researchers, the following is a good estimate of the events that occur in a typical giraffe day:

Early in the morning giraffes eat near the area where they slept (Moss, 1975). From early morning to midday, the giraffes travel around and feed among the trees. In the middle of the day, giraffes usually lie down for two hours or stand and ruminate (Veasey, 1996). Then they begin to move and eat again and find a good place to spend the night. They often choose a place with good visibility that is open and in the grasslands (Veasey, 1996). Giraffes do not stop eating until around midnight and then they lie down again for about three hours and ruminate. They also sleep for short periods (Moss, 1975). Usually when they sleep, giraffes lie down with their legs curled under them and their neck and heck held up. Occassionaly they go into a deep sleep and actually rest their head on their legs, but usually they only do this for about one minute at a time for a total of 5-30 minutes in one day and night (Moss, 1975). Sometimes giraffes also sleep for about fifteen minutes with one eye open (AWF, 2002). They also sleep in a star pattern, whith each giraffe facing a different direction (Moss, 1975). Giraffes are most vulnerable to predators when they lie down and sleep because it is very hard for them to get up from this position (Moss, 1975). But eventhough this is the case, only a small number of adult giraffes are killed by lions due to the speed of the giraffe and its ability to see predators approaching from far distances. Giraffes can run 37mph (Nature-Wildlife, 2002)! The mortality rate is about 13 percent and most of the giraffes that are killed by predators are old giraffes that become weak (Moss, 1975). After this long day of feeding and the males looking for estrus females, the next day comes and the cycle starts over again.