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A reticulated giraffe's head and neck, showing orange-brown patches outlined by white lines.
Photo: Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Reticulated Giraffe

Giraffa reticulata (also listed as Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)

An endangered giraffe of northern Kenya with orange-brown patches outlined by a network of bright white lines.

🦓 Hoofed Mammals
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About the Reticulated Giraffe

Reticulated giraffes live mainly in northern and northeastern Kenya. Their coats have orange-brown patches outlined by bright white lines that run all the way down their legs. A giraffe's favorite food is acacia leaves. It uses an 18-inch tongue and flexible lips to reach around the sharp thorns, and it can eat up to 75 pounds of food in a day. A baby giraffe is already about 6 feet tall when it is born.[1][3]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Giraffa reticulata (also listed as Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)[3][4]
Size
Giraffes stand up to 14 feet (4.3 m) tall for females and up to 18 feet (5.5 m) for males.[1]
Weight
Females up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg). Males up to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg).[1]
Lifespan
15 to 20 years.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Favorite food is acacia leaves. Can eat up to 75 pounds (34 kg) of food a day.[1]
Habitat
Open plains dotted with trees.[1]
Where it lives
Mainly northern and northeastern Kenya, with a few small groups possibly left in southern Somalia and Ethiopia.[3]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts about 14 months. A newborn calf is about 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighs 100 to 220 pounds (45 to 100 kg).[1]
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[3][4]

Fun facts

  • A giraffe's tongue is about 18 inches (46 cm) long. Its dark color helps protect it from sunburn.[1]
  • Giraffes need only 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour day.[1]
  • A giraffe has seven neck bones, and each one can be more than 10 inches (25 cm) long.[1]
  • The horn-like bumps on a giraffe's head are covered in hair and are called ossicones.[1]
  • Thick, sticky saliva coats any acacia thorns a giraffe swallows.[1]

Vocabulary

reticulated
Marked with a pattern of lines that form a net or web.
ossicone
A bony, hair-covered horn on top of a giraffe's head.
browse
To feed on leaves, twigs and shoots from trees and bushes.
prehensile
Able to grab or wrap around things, like a giraffe's lips.
endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Giraffe.” https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/giraffe (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] African Wildlife Foundation. “Giraffe.” https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/giraffe (accessed 2026-10-02)
  3. [3] Giraffe Conservation Foundation. “Reticulated giraffe.” https://giraffeconservation.org/giraffe-species/reticulated-giraffe/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  4. [4] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Giraffa camelopardalis ssp. reticulata (Reticulated Giraffe).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/88420717/88420720 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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