Giraffes
at Audubon Zoo
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Heads Up!
New Giraffes at Audubon Zoo
Audubon Zoo is thrilled to welcome two new young giraffes, Maverick and Fennessy.
Maverick was born at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, while Fennessy joins the Audubon family from the Abilene Zoo.
Buy tickets today and spot these adorable newcomers roaming their lush habitat in the African Savanna exhibit.
Don't miss the chance to watch them grow in their new home!
Get Eye-to-Eye with a Giraffe
Daily Giraffe Feedings | 2 PM
Meet Maverick and Fennessy up close during our daily giraffe feedings! Step up to the platform and offer a leafy snack as you learn fun facts from our animal care team.
🦒 Location: Twiga Terrace in the African Savanna
🎟️ Cost: $5 (purchase on-site)
📅 Time: 2 PM daily (weather permitting)
Giraffe Fast Facts
- Conservation Status: Vunerable, high risk of extinction
- Habitat/Range: Savannas and woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa
- Diet: Herbivore – leaves
- Size: Males: up to 19ft. tall and 4,250 pounds; Females: up to 15ft. tall and 2,600 pounds
- Lifespan: 10-15 years in the wild; up to 25 years in human care
- Social Structure: loose herds
- Fun Fact: Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world.
See Us at the Zoo
See Giraffes in the Zoo’s Africa region, just past Lions and Painted Dogs.
A giraffe’s foot is about the size of a dinner plate.
Every giraffe’s coat pattern is unique, much like a human fingerprint.
The bony, fur-covered knobs on a giraffe’s head are called ossicones.
A group of giraffes is called a "tower."
Giraffe Habitat & Range
Giraffes have always lived in Africa’s woodlands and savannah grasslands, but their overall range has been shrinking for decades.
Learn More About Giraffe Habitat & Range
Historic vs. Current Range
Habitat
Giraffe Behavior
Giraffes are sometimes referred to as “gentle giants” because they are huge yet quiet, non-territorial animals. They want to be together and they want to browse – and just so we’re clear, you don’t want to stand in their way.
Learn More About Giraffe Behavior
Social Leviathans
On the one hand, giraffes are unassuming. On the other, they are imposing and they know it. You cannot make giraffes do anything they don’t want to do. They are social animals that find safety in staying together. They are naturally wary, have an independent streak, and will go where they want when they want.
Few predators bother to attack giraffes, given their size, and fewer still are successful. Calves may be vulnerable, but adults are rarely taken down. Giraffes typically flee when threatened but fight back as needed, particularly when defending their young. If a giraffe lands a good kick, it can crush a lion’s skull.
Feeding
Giraffes roam in loose herds across grasslands and through woodlands, browsing leaves from shrubs and tall trees as they go. They spend up to 75% of their waking hours feeding or searching for food. They favor the leaves of parasol-topped acacia trees, which are notoriously thorny, but they don’t seem to mind. Giraffes skillfully pluck leaves and avoid thorns, using their long, twisting, nimble tongues. Should they happen to eat a thorn, it just slides down the throat covered in thick, slimy saliva.
Giraffes are vulnerable to attack when drinking because they must awkwardly splay their legs to lower their heads to the ground. They drink infrequently, even when water is readily available. Giraffes are also vulnerable when sleeping; they may lay down to rest, but they sleep only in short bursts.
Height Helps
Giraffes are the tallest animals on Earth, and they use that height to their advantage. They tolerate heat well because they can distribute it across their enormous surface area. They can feed on leaves and shoots well beyond the reach of any other browser except maybe elephants. And given how tall they are, they are hard to sneak up on!
No Smelling Salts Needed
Much of a giraffe’s height is channeled into its long neck. This means that its brain is at least six feet away from its heart. So why don’t giraffes faint when they suddenly lower or raise their heads? Because they have a special network of blood vessels that controls the flow of blood to and from the heart and head, keeping blood pressure in the brain constant. No need for smelling salts!
Giraffe Conservation
Lions are in trouble, but effective conservation strategies exist to protect these cats in the wild. Learn more about what threatens lions and what measures we can take to help them survive.
Learn More About Giraffe Conservation
Threats
Over the past half century, giraffes have been squeezed into ever smaller ranges as they have lost habitat to human development and activities. Their overall population numbers have fallen by approximately 30% in 30 years. They are primarily threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, human encroachment, poaching, and disease.
Conservation Efforts
Some giraffe populations are increasing, some are decreasing, and some are stable, so appropriate conservation actions really depend on the population. The largest giraffe populations occur in nationally protected areas and on private land, but many smaller populations also exist in unprotected and communal areas.
All giraffes, no matter where they live, need access to protected and well-managed habitat. Reintroduction programs based on translocation of individual giraffes have been successful to date in limiting over-crowding of giraffes in some areas, repopulating former habitat in other areas, and promoting genetic diversity within small populations.
Further scientific study is an essential component of future giraffe conservation. Understanding the movements, resource requirements, and vulnerabilities of giraffes is critical to managing healthy and growing populations in protected areas. .
Giraffe FAQs
Where can I see the giraffes at Audubon Zoo?
The giraffes are located in the Zoo’s African Savanna area. You’ll find them in a spacious habitat designed to resemble their natural environment, complete with elevated viewing areas and opportunities for close-up experiences.
Check the Zoo map or download the Zoo app to use the interactive map and easily locate their exhibit during your visit.
What do giraffes eat at the Zoo?
The Zoo’s giraffes eat alfalfa hay, specially formulated grain, and lots of leaves, otherwise known as browse. The giraffes also enjoy carrots, lettuce, and sweet potatoes as food enrichment items.
If you participate in a Giraffe Feeding Experience at the Zoo – which we highly recommend! – a giraffe will gently pull a piece of browse directly from your outstretched hand.
How can I help giraffes in the wild?
Become an Audubon member! Audubon Nature Institute is dedicated to protecting wildlife and the habitats they depend upon all around the world. Our conservation work is supported directly by our guests and members. When you buy a ticket or join as a member, you are contributing to species-focused conservation efforts across the planet.
