a giraffe grows up

The other giraffes greet the new calf.. An adult male giraffe stands between 15 and 18 feet high.. But Scientists think that the giraffe is descended from long-necked hooved animals that

A

GIRAFFE

CALF GROWS

UP

by Joan Hewett photographs by Richard Hewett

t C A R O L R H O D A B O O K S , I N C / M

I N A W

A NIMAL P ARK

3

At first

his legs wobble

But he can drink

his mother’s milk

5

He watches the other giraffes Hobbs stands by his mother’s side

7

J OINING THE H ERD

The other giraffes greet the new calf They nudge him with their noses They are friendly

His legs aren’t wobbly anymore

11

It’s almost nighttime

13

The giraffes spend the night in the barn

The barn keeps them warm and dry

Hobbs stays

by his mother

When he is hungry,

he drinks

his mother’s milk

He’s too young

to chew hay

15

17

Hobbs is shy

He hides behind his mother’s back

The giraffe calf

rubs his head

on a tree trunk

He eats a leaf

that’s on the ground

19

E ATING AND D RINKING

21

It‘s a hot day

Hobbs is thirsty

The gangly calf spreads his front legs

He walks to the lake’s edge

He bends his heavy neck

23

He drinks the cool water

Hobbs is 9 months old

But he can chew hay too

He still drinks his mother’s milk

He chews and swallows it again

25

Hobbs chews and swallows hay

Later, he brings it up from his stomach

Getting up is hard work

Hobbs is a contented 2-year-old calf

He eats treats from a keeper’s hand

In a few years, Hobbs will be grown up

29

Hobbs runs with the other calves

An adult male giraffe stands between 15 and 18 feet high At 10 years old, he is considered full grown Even so, a giraffe can continue to grow very slowly for most of its life

But Scientists think that the giraffe is descended from long-necked hooved animals that lived millions of years ago

More about Giraffes

The giraffe is the tallest of all the animals that live on the land

Giraffes have two-toed hooves like deer, sheep, and cows the giraffe’s neck is quite a bit different

Giraffes, like humans, have 7 neck bones But a giraffe’s neck is about 6 feet long Its neck bones are big and heavy The giraffe has strong neck muscles to support its neck bones The giraffe’s extra large heart pumps blood all the way up to its head

Giraffes live in Africa The plains of central and eastern Africa

Male giraffes may go off by themselves While their calves are young, mother giraffes stay with a herd The mothers

The calves spend most of their time

graceful animals roam an area of the park called the African Plain The animals are not free But they do have a secure and comfortable home

In their search for food, giraffes may leave one herd and join another

feed each other’s calves

playing together

More about Wild Animal Parks

Hobbs lives in the Six Flags Wild Safari Park in Jackson, New Jersey, with 14 other giraffes During the day, these gawky but