Game parks all over Africa are full of the strangest creatures. God must certainly have a sense of humor, or why would He have created so many interesting and unusual animals. Take for instance the hippo. Big, fat, runs funny, tiny ears, strange communication sounds, spends most of its life almost completely submerged under water. Or how about the warthog, they get down on their knees when they eat. One is almost certain they pray before every meal (at least they do get down on their knees). The list goes on and on. One could easily fill a book or a movie showing and telling about so many of the strange-looking and acting creatures.
While it might not fall into the category of a “strange animal” the giraffe certainly qualifies as a bit strange, especially when you take a second look. Watch them run, for instance. Their front legs extend forward, alternating first left, then right as one would expect. But look again at their back legs! They spring forward as though trying to catch up with their front legs, but they do it both at the same time. One can easily conclude, “That animal can’t do that,” but they do. In fact, they can run at a speed of 37 miles an hour.
Or look at their tongues. Some male giraffes have tongues nearly a foot and a half long. Look too at their necks. They have the same number of vertebrae as humans, seven. Yet a human neck is about 4 to 4 ½ inches long while a giraffe has a neck over 6 feet long. Despite its length, a giraffe cannot reach the ground with its tongue because of its long legs. It must spread its legs to reach down with its tongue or mouth.
Speaking of their heads (or their necks), did you know they use their heads for fighting. Imagine a giraffe taking a swing at you with that long neck bringing its head into range of your body.
One last fact, a full-size giraffe can be as tall as three grown men standing on each other’s shoulders.
Now that you know these facts about the giraffe don’t you agree they can easily fit the “strange animal” category?