Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 3, 2017

Boy or Girl? Text Alerts to Deliver Gender of April the Giraffe's Calf

For the many millions of internet viewers who are checking YouTube (or Live Science) daily to see if April the pregnant giraffe has had her calf, the vigil continues — when the sun rose this morning (April 3), the big-bellied giraffe was still pregnant. However, April's many anxious fans can...

Apr 15, 2017

Watch Live: April the Giraffe Cares for Her Calf

UPDATE (April 15): Everybody, are you watching? IT'S HAPPENING! At 7:29 A.M. local time, Jordan Patch, owner of Animal Adventure Park — home of April the giraffe — announced on Facebook that April had entered active labor. The baby's hooves emerged first, and the rest should shortly follow. Here's the...

Apr 15, 2017

Finally! April the Giraffe Delivers Her Newborn

After keeping millions of people anxiously glued to their computer and phone screens on belly watch since Feb. 11, April the pregnant giraffe delivered her calf at Animal Adventure Park (AAP) in Harpursville, New York, on April 15. The 15-year-old mother welcomed her newborn at 9:54 a.m. local time. This...

Apr 16, 2017

It's a Boy! See First Photos of Newborn Giraffe

Nearly two months after April the pregnant giraffe made her YouTube debut on Feb. 11, she has finally delivered a healthy calf — a male. April gave birth to the baby at Animal Adventure Park (AAP) in Harpursville, New York, yesterday (April 15) at 9:53 a.m. local time, attended by...

Apr 17, 2017

Diet, Exercise and 'Giraffe Hugs': Up Close and Personal with April and Her Baby

April, the internet-famous giraffe, finally delivered her long-expected calf on April 15 at Animal Adventure Park (AAP) in Harpursville, New York. The as-yet-unnamed baby, a male, weighed 129 pounds (58.5 kilograms) at birth and stood 5 feet 9 inches (nearly 2 meters) tall. Today (April 17), Jordan Patch, AAP's owner,...

Apr 25, 2017

Farewell (for Now) to April's Giraffe Cam

After two months of documenting April the giraffe's pregnancy — not to mention the baby's birth and its first days of life — the Animal Adventure Park (AAP) giraffe cam has finally come down. How will her millions of fans cope? They will probably be relieved to hear that the...

May 1, 2017

Meet Tajiri! April the Giraffe's Baby Gets a 'Hopeful' Name

They'll call him Taj. The baby giraffe born on April 15 at Animal Adventure Park (AAP) in Harpursville, New York, finally has a name: Tajiri (pronounced tah-JEER'-ee), which is Swahili for hope or confidence, the giraffe keepers said. The fate of the giraffe's moniker was in the hands of the...

Jun 25, 2017

Do Giraffes Get Struck by Lightning More Than Other Animals?

Two months ago, Reddit user infernograve woke from a vivid dream. As wakefulness crept back, the dream did not recede, rather, it stuck in his mind, piquing his curiosity and prompting a burning question. He subsequently logged into Reddit's popular AskScience subreddit to share it: Do giraffes get struck by...

Sep 8, 2017

Giraffe Facts & Photos

Giraffes tower over Africa's plains. These tall animals are identified by their long necks, equally long and spindly legs, and spotted coats. Most giraffes have a tan, white or yellow coats that are spotted with brown, square shapes. SizeGiraffes are the tallest living animals in the world, according to the...

Apr 16, 2018

April the Giraffe's Calf Celebrates His 1st Birthday with Cauliflower 'Cake'

Around this time last year, millions of internet viewers were glued to their screens, captivated by the steady pacing of an unlikely celebrity — a heavily pregnant giraffe named April — as the expectant mother plodded around her enclosure, anticipating the imminent birth of her baby. The infant — a...

Jul 27, 2018

April the Giraffe Is Pregnant Again. Yes, Her Cam Is Up and Running.

April the giraffe, the most famous giraffe in the world, is pregnant again. Jordan Patch, the owner of Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, where April lives, announced the good news on Wednesday (July 25). April is a 17-year-old reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) who captured the hearts of...

Oct 3, 2018

Mama Giraffes' Spot Patterns Are Passed Down to Their Babies

Can you spot the difference between coat patterns of mother giraffes and their gangly, knobby-kneed babies? It turns out that similarities are surprisingly easy to find. That's because young giraffes inherit much of the detail in their spots from their mamas, and the distribution and shape of their spots determines...

Jun 10, 2019

Done with Babies: April the Internet-Famous Giraffe Is Starting Birth Control

April the giraffe rocketed to fame on the internet in 2017 with a live-streamed pregnancy and birth that captivated hundreds of millions of viewers. But the now five-time mama is done having babies. On June 6, Jordan Patch, owner of Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, announced on Facebook...

Mar 11, 2020

Two of the last white giraffes on Earth were slaughtered by poachers

Rangers at a nature conservancy in Garissa County, Kenya, have discovered the skeletal remains of two rare white giraffes that went missing several months ago. According to a statement issued on Twitter, the carcasses belong to a mother and her 7-month-old calf — two of only three white giraffes living...

Sep 22, 2020

Lightning killed 2 giraffes in South Africa: Were they doomed by their height?

Lightning recently killed two giraffes in South Africa; one of the giraffes — a 5-year-old female — had a fractured skull and a broken ossicone (giraffes' knoblike horns), indicating that she died after a lightning strike directly to the head. The giraffes were found on March 2 after a thunderstorm...