Female giraffes (cows) weigh 1000 to 1500 pounds, compared with bulls which reach a ton (2000 pounds) or more. Both males and females have short horns which are covered with skin, and all are quite able to take care of themselves.
Mothers show tender, loving care to their calves for several months, until they grow big enough to join the adults. During the early morning daylight a mother will hide her calf under a bush or in tall grass. Lying with its neck and head curled over its back, it blends in with the coloring around it and is not easily seen. Meanwhile the mother is busy finding her food, returning about noontime and again at night to nurse her baby.
Frequently several mothers with babies form a group. At night one stands guard while the others sleep with their own calves. Then in the morning when it is time to go searching for food, one or two of the adults remain behind to “baby-sit” all the little ones. If lions or hyenas come near, the “nurse” bellows loudly. All the mothers and fathers who hear the bellow come running to attack or chase away the intruders. These are God-given instincts that show His care over them.
Giraffes can live on grass and surface plants, but it is much easier to reach the leaves and tender twigs of trees and tall bushes when eating their daily requirement of 100 pounds or more—pulling it all into their mouths with tongues a foot and a half long. The leaves and blossoms of acacia trees that grow plentifully in their homeland are favorite foods. Acacias have sharp thorns, but lips as tough as shoe leather take care of that problem. It is interesting to see how God gave them this eating habit to enable certain acacia trees to reproduce themselves. It has been discovered that the seeds of many of these trees will not germinate until they have been treated by passing through the four stomachs of a giraffe and then discarded.
Getting a drink is not an easy job for this animal. Beside a lake or watering hole it must lower its head to suck in the water and raise its head to swallow the water. This raising and lowering of its head about 20 feet would normally cause such a rush of blood that the giraffe would black out, faint and fall over. But the Creator planned for this, too. Within its veins and arteries a system of valves keeps the blood flowing evenly, no matter what movement may be made. Also, at the base of its brain, blood vessels automatically expand when its head is lowered and contract when suddenly raised. What a marvelous Creator we have! God’s creation worked right the first time. There was no problem here for so wise a Creator.
An animal this big needs lots of blood, and so it has been given a large heart, weighing about 25 pounds, which pumps blood through its body at the rate of 15 gallons a minute.
The next time you see one of these interesting animals in the zoo, think how wisely the Lord God, the Creator, has provided for all its needs.
ML-12/04/1983