The Rothschild’s Giraffe is an endangered subspecies endemic to Uganda and the tallest land mammal. It is a subspecies of the northern Giraffe which was recently suggested to be an ecotype of the Nubian Giraffe.
Males weigh 1000-1200 kilograms while female weigh 800-850 kilograms. Female Giraffes have a gestation period of approximately 15 months, and they give birth to a single calf, the mother becomes a refugee of its calf for approximately one or two months and their after returns to the family to introduce a new individual, female Giraffes are good at taking care of their young calf – a process which takes 2 years until when the calf is able to graze on its own with other individuals.
The Giraffe has the longest legs of any animal – the ungulates are typically long legged mammals. This elongation arises primarily through the lengthening of the lower part of the fore hind legs.
When you see a Giraffe in its natural habitat – dry savanna grassland with both loose stands of trees and thickets of thorny bushes. The Giraffe has the largest eyes among land mammals - the Giraffe has the large field of view. It can see fellow Giraffes, and also predators such as lions and leopard from far away.
The Giraffe walks by swinging its legs forward, first both legs on one side of the body and then both legs on the opposite side, Giraffe walk by simultaneously moving the left front and right rear legs and then the right front and left rear legs.
Best Places to see Rothschild Giraffes
· Murchison Falls National Park
· Lake Mburo National Park
· Kidepo Valley National Park