Female giraffes, called cows, weigh up to 1,825 pounds, compared with bulls, which reach 2,628 pounds.
Cows are pregnant for about 15 months. There is a good reason for this long pregnancy. The calf is born into a dangerous world, so it stays safely inside its mother while it develops physically much more than human babies need to do. When the calf is born, it is able to walk within half an hour, and it is already six feet tall! The mothers keep their calves apart from the larger group for several weeks. During this time, she has to leave it alone, exposed to many dangers, while she goes to get food and water. After a time alone, she introduces it to the rest of the herd.
Now the calf’s life becomes a little less dangerous. In the herd, there are usually other baby giraffes. They seem to enjoy being together, and they are often watched over by one female while the other adults go off to eat and drink, knowing the calves are being guarded.
Giraffes mainly eat leaves, flowers and the fruit of tall trees and bushes when getting their daily requirement of 100 pounds of food, or more. The leaves and blossoms of acacia trees are a favorite food. Acacias have sharp thorns, but the giraffe’s tough upper lip helps them handle that problem. God has also given them a very long and agile tongue, nearly 18 inches long, which is able to reach around the thorns to get at the leaves and blossoms. Giraffes must spend about 16 to 20 hours a day eating, and more time chewing the cud to help digest all that food, so they don’t get much sleep ... as little as five to 30 minutes!
Getting a drink is not an easy job for a giraffe. It must lower its head a very long way to reach the water and then raise its head to swallow after collecting some water in its throat. This raising and lowering of its head close to 20 feet would normally cause such a rush of blood to its head that the giraffe would have a stroke and die. Of course, our Creator planned for this. At the base of the giraffe’s brain the blood meets a special network of tiny blood vessels. Going through all those tiny veins slows the rush of blood into the brain. This same network slows the blood leaving its head when it is suddenly raised.
Why do you think the Lord made such a tall animal? Perhaps one reason was to show us that things that seem impossible to man are no problem for Him. Giraffes have several things about their bodies that people could never figure out how to solve, such as blood rushing to and from their heads when they drink. If you have any problems that seem impossible, take them to the Lord. As our opening verse says, nothing is impossible with Him!
Did You Know?
Adult giraffes require 100 pounds of food or more every day.
Messages of God’s Love 5/26/2024