Of Cruel Thorns and Blue Tongues

They can deter lions and impale birds.  Acacia thorns...you've seen them as effective wild animal barriers in my post How to Keep Lions Out of Your Garden, and they mean business!

The trouble with Acacia trees is that they have juicy leaves on them that giraffes can't resist. But how can they get to them through those jagged thorns?

With a long long tongue.

That happens to be blue.

See that 18-inch tongue? Add that to the height of the tallest of giraffes, the Masai, and you get an animal that can reach a leaf 23 feet high (over two stories)!


And below is a picture of Jock, a Masai giraffe who, at over 20 feet tall, is one of the tallest giraffes in captivity. Note the man in a white shirt standing next to him in the bushes...amazing!

Here is a picture of the Rhodesian and the tallest giraffe in the world, the Masai giraffe, both considered "oak leaf" patterned giraffes.

Next post, we'll consider giraffes whose patterns are, uh, a bit strange.  Watch for it!