Denmark’s
Odense Zoo enjoyed a mid-winter boost when a Giraffe calf was born on February
20. The female baby weighs 132 pounds (60 kg) and stands about five-and-a-half
feet (170 cm) tall.
Photo Credit: Odense Zoo
The
Odense Zoo staff eagerly awaited the arrival of this little calf. The calf’s mother and father are both
first-time parents, but they’ve adjusted well to their new roles. With this most recent baby, the zoo now has
seven Giraffes, including two other calves born since 2011 when a new African
exhibit opened at the zoo.
Giraffes are the
world’s tallest land animals, well adapted for foraging in the treetops on savannahs
south of Africa’s Sahara desert. Acacia
leaves are among their favorites, despite formidable thorns on the trees’ branches. Giraffes strip the leaves from the branches
with their 18-inch-long tongue.
Giraffes gather in loose groups on the savannah, providing a
distinct advantage for each individual:
many pairs of eyes can survey the area for potential threats, such as
lions.
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