🦒
The Taste Test
Male giraffes headbutt females to make them urinate, then taste the urine to determine if she's fertile — a behavior called the Flehmen response.
Giraffe
Giraffa
The world's tallest animals have developed some unusual courtship behaviors to ensure reproductive success.
Vital Stats
🏷️ TypeEven-toed ungulate (tallest land animal)
🌍 Found InSub-Saharan Africa — savannas, grasslands, open woodlands
📏 SizeMales: 5-6m tall, 800-1,400kg | Females: 4.3-5m, 500-700kg
⏳ Lifespan20-25 years in wild
🔞 Sexual MaturityMales: 4-5 years | Females: 3-4 years
💕 Mating SystemPolygynous — dominant males mate with multiple females
📅 Mating SeasonYear-round, but peaks in rainy season
🤰 Gestation15 months
👶 Offspring1 calf (born ~1.8m tall)
🍆 Penis Size75 cm
⏱️ Sex Duration1 second
🔬 Notable AnatomyMales taste female's urine to detect fertility (flehmen response)
⚖️ Sexual DimorphismMales taller, heavier, with thicker ossicones (horns)