Capture (Visualization): Imagine this, a tall mammal moving across an open plain in Africa. It has a neck so tall it touches the tree tops. It has a long tongue that reaches out of its mouth and rips through branches with pointed thorns. This animal is the one and only giraffe. Motivate(Curiosity): Most people would not know the average height of a giraffe or how much its heart weighs. Assertion: That is why my speech is all about expanding your knowledge of one of the tallest land mammals in the world. Preview: I am going to inform and share with the class the basic lifestyle of the giraffe, some interesting fun facts about the giraffe, and some general information about the local giraffes right here in the Boise Zoo.
Basic Lifestyle and Habitat Giraffes were originally found in Africa. The natural habitat of the giraffe is the savannas and dense forests with tall trees. In their
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First off, they can live to be about 40 years old in captivity versus a maximum of 25 years in the wild. Also, the average adult giraffe gets about five to thirty minutes of sleep in a twenty-four hour period. On certain occasions, giraffes will sleep for around two hours if they feel protected enough. Giraffes also tend to sleep standing up right. The reason giraffes will not generally lay down to sleep is because it is too time consuming to stand back up! A full grown male giraffe on average, is between 16 and 20 feet tall. Female giraffes’ height averages around 15 feet. Male giraffes also weigh around 3,500 pounds while the females only weigh about 1,800 pounds. The giraffe also has a heart that weighs about 24 pounds. Blood would not reach the brain if a giraffe did not have the blood pressure twice that of a human. The blood has to defy gravity in order to reach the giraffe’s brain, therefore the heart has to work harder and be larger. Finally, giraffes forelegs are about 10% longer than their back