How would your heart pump blood to your brain if it was located over three metres above it?!
As the tallest living animal in the world, reaching up to six metres, the Giraffe's immense height has resulted in some extraordinary adaptations.
To ensure there's sufficient blood flow, it has thickened heart walls that produce the highest blood pressure of any animal on Earth. It also has long leg ligaments to stop blood pooling in the ankles, and an elastic ligament in the neck which whips the head upright after drinking. Like our fingerprints, the pattern on a Giraffe's body is also unique to each animal.
Because it is vulnerable to predators in the wild, the Giraffe has adapted the unique ability to sleep standing up as well as lying down, and only sleeps for very short periods. It also gives birth standing upright.
Despite its long neck, the Giraffe has seven neck bones, the same number as nearly every other mammals, including us!
