Giraffidae, from Arabic ⁧زَرَافَة⁩ (zarāfa, “giraffe”), in reference to the fact that all the members of this family are giraffe-related.

Common names of members

Girraffe, okapi.

Distribution 

Sub-Saharan Africa.

Size

They are large animals, varying in size from 1.5 m tall and 200–350 kg in weight to 4.3–5.7m tall and 1,192 kg.

Morphology

They feature long necks and legs, a long, prehensile tongue that is black in color, lobed canine teeth, coats with patterns that serve as camouflage, and a back that slopes in the direction of the back. Some have ossicones, a pair of horns covered with skin.

Ecology & Habitat

Savannas and rainforests.

Diet

Strictly herbivores, their eating patterns are correlated with body size; larger species graze on high-fiber flora in wide grasslands, whilst smaller animals forage in dense, enclosed environments. The main source of food is grasses and leaves.

Reproduction 

They are polygamous: a few males mate with the fertile females. Due to the dispersion of oestrous females throughout the landscape, reproductive adult males devise a strategy of roving among female groups in search of opportunities for mating, engaging in hormone-induced rutting behavior roughly every two weeks.

Total species known

6595

Species in the collection

40

Species in Hong Kong

287

References

Macdonald, D. W. (2006). The Encyclopedia of mammals. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199206087.001.0001.

Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Pratt, D. M., Anderson, V. H. (1985). Giraffe social behaviour. Journal of Natural History, 19(4), 771-781. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222938500770471.