What Features and Adaptations Do Giraffes Need to Live in a Savanna?

Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals and are related to deer and cattle. Though most giraffe enthusiasts know that the animal's camouflage-like skin helps it hide from predators and its long neck allows it to eat food high in the treetops, the giraffe has adapted in other ways to survive life on the savanna.

  1. Height

    • The most obvious of the animal's adaptations, a giraffe's long neck and equally long legs, helps this herbivore reach leaves that are too high for other animals. However, the giraffe's height also comes in handy in spotting and avoiding many predators, and those long legs with hard hooves can deliver a kick powerful enough to kill a lion.

    Mouths

    • The giraffes' prehensile tongues, adapted to help them easily grasp leaves and rip them from branches, are more than 18 inches long. This helps the animal reach even higher foliage, and the roof of its mouth is grooved to aid the tongue in tearing the leaves from the tallest trees.

    Eyes

    • Giraffes have very good vision, thanks to large eyes that help them see predators from long distances, and these animals sleep with their eyes open, resting for only a few minutes at a time for a total of about half an hour a day. In addition, giraffes have long eyelids, which help them sense and avoid branches and thorns as they are grazing. Their eyelids also keep ants and other insects out of their eyes.

    Circulatory Systems

    • These large animals have large hearts that pump blood all the way up those elongated necks and into their brains. And when giraffes bend their heads toward the ground, the valves in the veins of giraffes' necks work efficiently to prevent blood from rushing to their brains. A system of capillaries in the brain acts as shock absorbers to keep the giraffe from becoming unconscious.

    Behaviors

    • Along with their physical adaptations, giraffes have developed some behaviors that help them survive in the savanna. Though they wander frequently and may separate from the herd at any time, giraffes often travel in groups or feed near other herbivores. The herd offers them safety in numbers as many could watch for any predators moving into the area.