AnimalID

Name

5033

Giraffe

LocationName:

Africa

Origin:

Original ZT

PurchaseCost:

$1,600

RequiresResearch:

No

IsClimber:

No

IsJumper:

Yes

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

Description:

Giraffes dwell on the African savannah south of the Sahara Desert. They are generally found in wooded grassland areas. The word "giraffe" comes from the Arab word xirapha (zee-RAF-ah), which means "the one that walks very fast." The Egyptians and Greeks believed that these creatures were a mixture of camel and leopard, and so called them "camelopards." The giraffe's hide, with its unique pattern of dark brown spots upon a tan background, provides it with excellent camouflage against the savannah plain. An individual giraffe's markings are as unique as a fingerprint.

With its distinctive long neck, the giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. Giraffes feed on the leaves at the top of trees, and their long supple necks and 18-inch tongues enable them to reach up high to graze on the tender new growth. These animals enjoy munching on a wide variety of foliage. One of the giraffe's primary sources of food is acacia trees, so a plentiful supply of these is particularly important. Giraffes often get hungry and so must eat frequently, consuming about 75 pounds of leaves in a day. If necessary, they can go without water for weeks, as they derive much of the moisture they need from their diet. In captivity, giraffes typically eat alfalfa, hay, and dry food.

In the wild, giraffes gather in herds that can range in size from two to fifty individuals. A typical herd might consist of one bull with females and young. Herds are very loosely structured; in fact, giraffes rarely cluster closely together unless they happen to be munching on the same tree or are nervous because of the presence of lions.

The giraffe's extreme height, coupled with its keen eyesight, allows this animal to spy predators from a great distance. Adult giraffes are generally too big to fall prey to the predators of Africa, although they are vulnerable to lions when lying down or drinking. Even so, the adult giraffe is risky prey; a well-placed kick can be lethal. Calves are frequently preyed upon by lions, hyenas, leopards, and African wild dogs. A mother will defend her calf by standing over it and lashing out at attackers with her front or hind feet.

Although generally quiet creatures, giraffes are not mute. Calves will bleat and make a mewing call, cows will bellow to their calves, and bulls may make coughing sounds during the rutting season. When upset, giraffes may grunt or snort. Unhappy giraffes will also run or gallop about, and lower their heads into an almost horizontal position. An alarmed giraffe will stretch its head to its highest position. An angry or nervous individual will affect the other giraffes in its herd. Giraffe calves enjoy playing and will race around their mothers or gambol with other calves. Giraffes tend to reproduce infrequently in captivity.

Attractiveness Adult:

Attractiveness Young:

Initial Happiness:

Habitat Preference:

25

75

60

80

Captivity:

Crowd:

CrowdHappiness Change:

ClimbsCliffs:

12

30

-5

No

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

To build a good animal exhibit you need to ask a few questions: (click them for the answers)

Which fence is suitable for this animal in terms of strength, if it can be climbed or jumped over?

How big should the exhibit be and what Terrain should be used?

What foliage should be used?

What rocks should be used?

What shelter does the animal need?

What toy does the animal like?

How deep should the exhibit be if using the "Pit Method"?

1 level

FenceName

Purchase Cost

Height

Strength

Life

Cost Effective

Stick Pole Fence

$75

2

225

12

16.0

Stick Pole Window Fence

$75

2

225

12

16.0

Chain-link Fence

$70

2

200

10

14.3

Post and Rail Fence

$90

2

250

12

13.3

Wood Slat Window Fence

$110

2

240

12

10.9

Wooden Slat Fence

$110

2

240

12

10.9

Rock Wall Fence

$150

2

280

14

9.3

Rock Window Fence

$150

2

280

14

9.3

Concrete Chain Fence

$150

2

275

14

9.3

Plexiglas Fence

$150

2

270

13

8.7

Iron Bar Fence

$180

2

290

14

7.8

Concrete Fence

$200

2

300

15

7.5

Reinforced Concrete Fence

$225

3

460

16

7.1

Reinforced Concrete and Glass Fence

$225

3

420

15

6.7

Concrete and Iron Bar Fence

$240

3

440

15

6.3

Electrified Chain-link Fence

$300

3

480

18

6.0

Electrified Iron Bar Fence

$350

3

400

18

5.1

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

Animal Density

Min

Number of Animals/Exhibit

Max

35

2

10

Terrain Name

Value

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Savannah grass

83

29

58

87

116

145

174

203

232

261

291

Dirt

10

4

7

11

14

18

21

25

28

32

35

Sand

5

2

4

5

7

9

11

12

14

16

18

Fresh water

2

1

1

2

3

4

4

5

6

6

7

Rocks

1

1

3

4

6

7

8

10

11

13

14

Foliage

13

5

9

14

18

23

27

32

36

41

46

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Exhibit Size

100

35

70

105

140

175

210

245

280

315

350

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

ID

Value

TreeName

Foliage Effect

Cost/ Square

Cost Effective

7058

10

Umbrella Thorn Tree

52

$840

6.2

7000

3

Acacia Caffra Tree

24

$500

4.8

7057

7

Baobab Tree

10

$300

3.3

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

ID

Value

RockName

Size X

Size Y

Rock

Rock Effect

Purchase Cost

Cost Effective

9206

2

Small Rock

1

1

Yes

8

$55

14.5

9205

2

Medium Rock 

1

1

Yes

8

$75

10.7

9200

4

Large Rock

2

2

Yes

4

$150

2.7

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

Shelter ID

Shelter Name

Shelter Value

Shelter Effect

Purchase Cost

Capacity

8119

Large Giraffe Shelter

20

10

$800

5

Yes

8118

Small Giraffe Shelter

15

5

$500

3

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

ToyID

ToyName

ToyValue

PurchaseCost

 none

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

ReproductionChance:

High

SickChance:

5

ReproductionInterval(months):

9

SickChange:

-12

HappyReproduceThreshold:

97

DeathChance:

10

Offspring:

1

TimeDeath(months):

24

BabyToAdult(months):

6

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?

Compatible Animals

Prey Animals

African Buffalo

8

KeeperFoodType:

Grass and branches

Thomsons Gazelle

8

none

Hippopotamus

8

Common Wildebeest

8

General Information

Building an Exhibit

The Life Cycle

Who do they like to live with and eat?