Giraffes are not carnivores; they are herbivores. These towering mammals exclusively consume plant matter.
The Giraffe’s Herbivorous Diet
Giraffes are primarily browsers, meaning they feed on leaves, twigs, buds, flowers, and fruits from trees and shrubs rather than grazing on grass. Their diet mainly consists of foliage from acacia trees, which are a rich source of nutrients. They can consume a variety of plants, adapting their diet based on what is available in their habitat. A large male giraffe can eat approximately 65 kg (145 pounds) of food per day. Giraffes spend a significant portion of their day foraging for food.
They selectively pick specific species and parts of plants. While they mostly eat from trees and shrubs, they may occasionally consume grass.
Defining Dietary Classifications
Animals are categorized into dietary classifications based on their primary food sources. Carnivores are animals that consume only meat. Examples of carnivores include lions and wolves, which hunt other animals for sustenance.
Herbivores, in contrast, are animals that exclusively eat plants. This group includes a wide range of animals, from large species like giraffes to smaller ones such as deer and koalas. Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and meat. Humans and bears are examples of omnivores.
Adaptations for Plant Eating
Giraffes possess several unique physical adaptations that facilitate their herbivorous diet. Their most recognizable feature, the long neck, allows them to reach high foliage, reducing food competition. This enables them to browse on leaves and shoots up to six meters (20 feet) off the ground.
Their prehensile tongue, which can extend 45-50 cm (18-20 inches), along with flexible lips, helps them strip leaves from thorny branches without injury. The tongue’s dark pigmentation and tough papillae offer protection from the sun and thorns, while thick saliva helps coat ingested thorns. Giraffes also have specialized teeth; they lack upper front teeth, instead possessing a tough dental pad against which their lower incisors and canines work to grasp and pull vegetation. Their large molars at the back of their mouths are well-suited for grinding tough plant material. Furthermore, giraffes are ruminants with four-chambered stomachs, a digestive system designed to efficiently break down and extract nutrients from fibrous plant matter.