Dublin Zoo is celebrating the arrival of a new edition to its family - a male Rothschild giraffe.
The calf stands tall at 1.5 meters and weighs an estimated 45kg.
The giraffe calf made his first outside appearance in the African Savanna on Wednesday, at four days old. He joins a herd of eight giraffes at Dublin Zoo.
Team leader at Dublin Zoo, Helen Clarke-Bennett said, “The calf was born in the giraffe house with the other female members of the herd present."
"The team watched the birth unfold on our closed circuit cameras. The birth took over an hour and we noticed that the herd was very attentive each step of the way. We’re very excited about this addition to the Dublin Zoo herd.”
The Rothschild giraffe is one of the most threatened of the nine sub-species of giraffe. Rothschild male giraffes grow to six metres in height and can weigh over 2000kg.
Facts about giraffes:
- Giraffes spend much of their day feeding stripping leaves off tree branches with their tongue. The tongue is a dark blue colour to prevent it from getting sunburned.
- Each giraffe has its own unique pattern of coat markings like finger prints for humans.
- Giraffes are the tallest of all living animals.
- Giraffes sleep standing up - but only for short periods, as they remain alert for predators.
- The giraffe has just seven vertebrae in its neck - the same as a human being or a mouse - despite having such a long neck.
