Giraffe Behaviour
Female giraffes spend just over half a 24 hour day browsing, male giraffes spend less time doing this - about 43% of the time that the female does. Night is mostly spent lying down ruminating, especially in the hours after dark and before dawn.
Male giraffes spend about 22% of the 24 hours walking, compared to 13% for female giraffes. The rest of the time male giraffes are searching for a female giraffe to mate with.
Giraffe Social Behaviour
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Female giraffes associate in groups of a dozen or so members, occasionally including a few younger males. Males tend to live in bachelor herds, with older males often leading solitary lives.
A individual giraffe can join or leave the herd at any time and for no particular reason.
Because giraffes are so widely scattered, it may seem that they do not keep in contact with each other, however, this is not true. A giraffe's keen eyesight means they can keep an eye on their neighbours even at a distance.
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Giraffe herds do not have a leader and individual giraffes show no particular preferences for others in the herd. Young giraffes are never left alone, however, they are looked after in a kind of nursery group where the females help look after each others calves (baby giraffes).
Giraffes spend up to half their time feeding and most of the remainder is taken up either by searching for food or slowly digesting what they have eaten. Sometimes giraffes sleep during the daytime, often while standing. Giraffes normally lie down only at night, tucking their feet under the body and usually keeping the head upright. However, when a giraffe is sleeping, something it does only for just a few minutes at a time, it curves its neck around and rests its head on or near its behind.
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One of the most fascinating elements of giraffe behaviour is the duel between males fighting for mating partners. Giraffe duels are among the most extraordinary in the animal kingdom. Duels begin when two males approach each other and engage in rubbing and intertwining their necks. This behaviour is known as 'necking'. It allows the opponents to assess each others size and strength.
Often, necking alone is enough to establish dominance. If not, the rivals begin to exchange blows with their heads, using their short horns to tackle each other.
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Each giraffe braces its front legs and swings its head upward and over its shoulder. If a blow lands solidly, the giraffe may stagger under the impact and in rare cases may even collapse onto the ground. More often the contest breaks off after a few minutes and the loser simply walks away.
Giraffe Communication
The idea that giraffes are mute is a myth. Though normally silent, calves (young giraffes) bleat and make a mewing call, cows (female giraffes) seeking lost calves will bellow and courting bulls (male giraffes) may emit a raucous cough. Giraffes also give alarm snorts, whereby moaning, snoring, hissing and flute like sounds have been reported. Giraffes also give out a grunting sound that sounds like a pig. See 'About Giraffes' to hear a giraffe grunt.
Giraffe Predators
Adult giraffes generally have no predators other than lions and humans, as their huge hooves are very effective in defending against predators. Giraffes are more vulnerable when they are lying down or drinking, because this gives lions the opportunity to leap up and seize them by the nose or throat. Newly born calves are at much greater risk.
Despite their mothers best efforts to protect them, over 50 percent of all giraffe newborns are killed by hyenas and big cats such as lions and leopards during the first month of their life.
