MASAI GIREFFE
Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi
-23.8214, 31.4456
Field Notes
Description:
The Masai Giraffe or Maasai Giraffe, also known as the Kilimanjaro Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi). The Masai Giraffe has jagged spots on its body. It also has a short tassel of hair on its tail. The bony outgrowths of the male's skull superficially provide the appearance of up to 5 ossicones. The dominant male's spots tend to be darker in colour than those of other members of its herd.
Adult males usually reach around 6 m in height—although they have been recorded at reaching heights of up to approximately 6.5 m—and females tend to be a bit shorter at around 5–5.5 m tall. Their legs and necks are both approximately 2 m long, and their heart has a mass of roughly 12 kg (25 lb).
Habitat:
It is found in Kenya and Tanzania.
Notes:
The Maasai Giraffe's kick is strong enough to crush a lion's skull or shatter its spine.
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