Four Log Cabins

 

Julius Caesar brought a giraffe back from Alexandria in 46 B.C. Romans thought it was a leopard/camel hybrid, so they called it camelopardalis. Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth. Their legs alone are about six feet tall. Their necks are about six feet, too. But giraffes have only seven neck bones, just like you do. Those long giraffe necks are still too short to reach the ground. To drink, they have to spread their front legs or kneel. Luckily, giraffes only need to drink every two or three days. They get most of their water from eating leaves. Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up. They even sleep and give birth on their feet. Newborn giraffes can usually stand and walk in the first hour. Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. The hair-covered nubs on their heads are mostly cartilage, and they’re called ossicones. At birth, ossicones lie flat to avoid injury.