Giraffe

📖 1. Overview

Reaching a height of 5.5 m, it is the tallest of all extant animals.

🌐 Wikipedia Summary Extract

Giraffes are large African hoofed mammals. They are the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants on Earth. They are classified under the family Giraffidae, along with their closest extant relative, the okapi. Traditionally, giraffes have been thought of as one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into four extant species, with seven subspecies, which can be distinguished morphologically by their fur coat patterns. Six valid extinct species of Giraffa are known from the fossil record.

🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology

Although its neck is over 2 m long, it has the same 7 cervical vertebrae as humans, along with an ultra-high-pressure heart and intricate blood-pressure-regulating valves to pump blood up to its brain.

🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior

With its 45 cm blue-black tongue, it skillfully plucks leaves from between acacia thorns, and sleeps standing up in short naps totaling only 30 minutes to 2 hours a day.

🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea

It is named after the mythical auspicious beast 'Qilin' (Girin), which symbolized a sage king during the Joseon Dynasty.