Photo by guest, Rachael Wooten
While at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo you might think that the giraffes only eat crackers (a favorite treat, but not the bulk of their diet). Giraffes are the tallest of all animals living on the land, and are one of the most fascinating creatures in the world. Giraffes are herbivores, which mean that they eat no meat. Giraffes love to eat twigs of plants and will also eat plant leaves. Their long neck and very long tongue is useful in picking the best twigs and leaves off the very tall trees. Their tongue, which is around 18 inches long, is also very tough to withstand thorns that may be on the plants they are eating. They also have thick, sticky saliva that coats any thorns they might swallow. You may have felt it if you have ever fed the giraffes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Giraffes can eat 75-100 lbs of twigs and leaves in just one day! Giraffes also use their exceptionally long tongue to clean off any bugs and insects that are annoying them, but they don’t eat them.
When we asked the giraffe keepers at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo some of their favorite stories about guests feeding the giraffes here is what they said:
Jeremy, a keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for 6 years, said, “ A mom handed her kid a dollar and said “Go feed the giraffe.” So the little kid walked right up to a giraffe and hands the dollar him. The giraffe promptly ate the dollar.” Jeremy said, “That starts to make for expensive poop.” (As a side note, the giraffe was fine, but we recommend that you do not feed them dollar bills.)
Tell us about your experience feeding the giraffes for a chance to win giraffe crackers! For more GIVEAWAYS, COUPONS, and PRIZES, check out our Spring Break Giveaway Days online online at facebook, twitter, and right here on the blog!
Photo by guest, Rachael Wooten
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