| NAME OF ANIMAL | FAMILY | DESCRIPTION |
| ROTHSCHILD GIRAFFE | GIRAFFEDAE | The spots on its skin are large and with different forms, with a combination of two colors ranging from a chocolate brown in the center fading to a less intense brown color at the edges separated by a thick border. The background skin color is cream or yellowish, which makes these patches stand out and give it a very elegant appearance. |
| MEASUREMENT | MALES | FEMALES |
| HEAD TO BODY LENGTH | 15-20 FEET (457-610 CM) | 13-15 FEET (396-457 CM) |
| HORN LENGTH | 13 CENTIMETERS | 13 CENTIMETERS |
| HEIGHT | UP TO 19 FEET (5.8 METERS) | UP TO 16 FEET (4.9 METERS) |
| TAIL LENGTH | ABOUT 2.4 METRES LONG (8 FT) | ABOUT 2.4 METRES LONG (8 FT) |
| WEIGHT (GENERAL) | THEY CAN WEIGH UP TO 2,500 POUNDS. MALES ARE LARGER THAN FEMALES BY A FEW HUNDRED POUNDS |
| CHARACTERISTICS | DESCRIPTION |
| RANGE | UGANDA AND KENYA |
| HABITAT | ISOLATED POPULATIONS OF ROTHSCHILD’S GIRAFFES LIVE IN SAVANNAH GRASSLANDS, AND OPEN WOODLANDS. |
| PRIMARY DIET | HERBIVORE |
| DIET | THEY ARE HERBIVORES LIKE ALL TYPES OF GIRAFFES AND FEED ON THE LEAVES OF TALL TREES SUCH AS THE ACACIA OR WILD APRICOT. THEY ALSO EAT SPROUTS AND FRUITS. |
| CONSERVATION STATUS | VERY FEW LOCATIONS ARE LEFT WHERE ROTHSCHILD’S GIRAFFE CAN BE SEEN IN THE WILD, WITH NOTABLE SPOTS BEING LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK IN KENYA AND MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK IN NORTHERN UGANDA. THE FUTURE FOR THE ROTHSCHILD GIRAFFE IS IN SERIOUS JEOPARDY AT THIS TIME. TODAY THERE ARE ONLY AROUND 1500 INDIVIDUALS IN THE WILD. THEY ARE POSSIBLY REGIONALLY EXTINCT FROM SOUTH SUDAN AND NORTHEASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. |
| REASON FOR THE STATUS | POACHING, TRADITIONAL HUNTING, AND DEGRADATION OF THEIR HABITAT ARE PRIMARY REASONS THAT TOOK THIS SPECIES TO AN ENDANGERED CONSERVATION STATUS. ACCORDING TO THE RED LIST OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE |
| CHARACTERISTICS | DESCRIPTION |
| GESTATION PERIOD | 14 TO 16 MONTHS |
| YOUNG PER BIRTH | SINGLE CALF |
| BIRTH TYPE | VIVIPAROUS |
| WEANING | 1 TO 16 MONTHS |
| SEXUAL MATURITY | FEMALES – 3 TO 4 YEARS / MALES – 4 TO 5 YEARS |
| BEHAVIOR | ROTHSCHILD’S GIRAFFES EXHIBIT SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND TYPICALLY FORM LOOSE HERDS OF 5 TO 15 INDIVIDUALS. THESE GROUPS ARE FLUID, WITH GIRAFFES FREELY JOINING AND LEAVING AS THEY CHOOSE. THE HERDS COMMONLY COMPRISE FEMALES AND THEIR YOUNG CALVES, WHILE ADULT MALES MAY EITHER FORM BACHELOR GROUPS OR PREFER SOLITARY ROAMING. TO ESTABLISH DOMINANCE AND HIERARCHY, MALE GIRAFFES USE “NECKING,” SWINGING THEIR LONG NECKS TO HEADBUTT OPPONENTS, VYING FOR SOCIAL STATUS WITHIN THE GROUP. |
| MAIN PREADATOR | LIONS, HYENAS, LEOPARDS, CROCODILES, ETC., LIVING IN THE JUNGLES OF AFRICA. |
| LIFESPAN IN THE WILD | 25 YEARS IN THE WILD |
| LIFESPAN IN CAPTIVITY | 30 YEARS CAPTIVITY |
| INTERESTING FACT | THE LARGEST NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN A HERD WAS RECORDED TO BE 70. THESE LARGE ANIMALS CAN CONSUME UP TO 134 KILOGRAMS OF LEAVES PER DAY AND SPEND 16 TO 20 HOURS A DAY, FEEDING. DESPITE THEIR MASSIVE STRUCTURE, THEY ARE ENLISTED UNDER THE GROUP OF FAST-MOVING MAMMALS AND CAN RUN AT A SPEED OF 32 TO 60 KM/H |
