The shrubs and trees of African acacias are thorny, but with the help of their tongue, they manage to hold the leaves without hurting, since such prehensile muscle of about 45 cm long has small papillae as well as the mouth, which helps Cushion the sharp elements of trees and shrubs. Similarly, its sticky, thick saliva covers the spines that could swallow, so that they are not in danger of damaging any internal organs of their body.
They are ruminant animals because they have a stomach with four parts that performs a digestive process in a different way than other mammals. The eating process for giraffes is peculiar. They start chewing the food for a few moments and then swallow it.
Next, they regurgitate that food into their mouths to chew it a second time. They may do this process before they move on to consume another food; this is a lengthy process which takes giraffes a lot of time feeding each day. During the rainy season, they get plenty of water from the leaves they consume, but in dry times they drink up to 38 liters of the vital liquid every three days.
Drinking water for giraffes is a challenge; Youngs may not have much trouble bending and reaching the water, but adult giraffes require to separate their forelegs wide almost creating a degree angle between both legs so that they can drink, keeping the rear legs in a position just flexed a bit to maintain the balance.
Their appetites may vary, and there is no guarantee that they will eat. Can I pet the giraffes? No; guests may not touch the animals. Can I purchase giraffe feeding in advance of my visit? We are only accepting credit and debit card transactions at this time. Feeding is first-come, first-served. Is Twiga Terrace wheelchair accessible? Generic filters Hidden label.
Minimum Age 8 All children under 16 years must be accompanied by a participating, paying adult. Allergy information None. Accessibility Not wheelchair accessible.
Important Information Enclosed, flat footwear is required to participate Check in at Zoo Shop on arrival. Please note the minimum age for this experience is 8 years. Highlights of this experience Hand feed one of our ginormous giraffes their favourite treat — carrots! How your ticket helps our conservation efforts Sadly, giraffe are facing trouble in the wild.
Want to get involved? You can help! Mouth protected against thorns Wilson and Mittermeier Strip leaves between lower teeth and hardened upper dental pad.
Tongue has small, thickened papillae Acacia defense response to giraffe browsing Bernard and Parker ; Brenneman et al. New acacia shoots generally high in protein but low in tannins. Giraffe induce shoot growth in some Acacia species through their browsing.
Airborne release of tannins; giraffes may move upwind. Drought and intense browsing by many giraffe may limit the re-growth ability of acacia.
Feeding Digestion Dagg , except as noted Very little chewing when food first eaten. Quickly swallowed, partially digested, and later regurgitated.
Chew more thoroughly at a later time "chewing cud" , like other ruminants. Can chew cud at any time of the day. Four-chambered stomach highly efficient. Surface covered in long papillae.
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