English Documentary on Giraffes with Transcript & Flashcards

English Documentary on Giraffes with Transcript & Flashcards to improve your listening and reading comprehension and expand your scientific vocabulary

Source of documentary: National Geographic YouTube Channel

Source of image: https://scitechdaily.com/

The tallest living land animal

With their towering height and signature long necks, giraffes are some of the most iconic creatures of Africa. Giraffes are the tallest living land animals. Adult females can grow over 14 feet tall and adult males can reach over 18 feet. baby giraffes, called calves, are born six feet tall and may grow an additional inch each day during their first week. This exceptional height allows giraffes to eat leaves and buds from treetops unreachable by other animals and to look out for predators and other oncoming dangers.

Giraffes have mighty hearts

Giraffes have exceptionally strong hearts. Their hearts are about two feet long and weigh approximately 25 pounds. That’s equal to about 50 human hearts. Because of the great distance between a giraffe’s heart and its brain due to the animal’s long neck, its heart has evolved thick muscular walls. Thanks to these powerful walls, a giraffe’s blood pressure can be two times higher than many other animals. This helps the giraffe’s heart defy gravity and push blood up its long neck and into its brain.

Neckbones in giraffes

Giraffes have the same number of neck bones as humans. Both humans and giraffes only have seven bones in their necks. However, human neck bones are only half an inch tall while giraffe bones are 10 inches tall. This means giraffe necks can grow to be about six feet long and weigh 600 pounds. Male giraffes’ necks may also be used in fights over females and to establish a hierarchy within the herd.

Are giraffes insomniacs?

Giraffes are capable of sleeping only five minutes a day. Giraffes can survive on five to 30 minutes of sleep each day, which they get through a series of one to two-minute naps. They can even get their rest while standing. Giraffes sleep this way out of necessity. They devote 16 to 20 hours each day to eating, which leaves little time for much else. Plus, sleeping especially while lying down exposes giraffes to predators.

Giraffes are vulnerable

Giraffe populations are vulnerable. Found only in Sub-Saharan Africa, giraffe populations plummeted up to about 40% between 1985 and 2015. The animals are killed for their coats and meat, especially in poor countries, like South Sudan, but they’re also hunted specifically for their tails, which are considered status symbols in some Congolese communities.

No other creature on the planet is quite like the giraffe. Their height and long necks, powerful hearts and staccato sleeping style easily make the creatures unique.