Curious About Giraffes

PODCAST 217: CURIOUS ABOUT GIRAFFES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WE’VE RECORDED LOTS OF EPISODES ON ANIMALS.  WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT AN ANIMAL ABOUT EVERY MONTH OR TWO.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT MY VERY FAVORITE ANIMAL AND I CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE.

O:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

“HELLO OLIVIA, MY DAUGHTER’S NAME IS ISABELLA AND SHE IS 5 YEARS OLD.  SHE LOVES YOUR SHOW AND THINKS YOU ARE VERY SMART.  SHE IS CURIOUS ABOUT A FEW THINGS AND WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD TEACH US ABOUT THEM.  HERE ARE SOME OF HER IDEAS:  ELSA (FROM FROZEN), KOALAS, GIRAFFES, AND SOLAR POWER.  THANKS FOR ALL THE EPISODES AND INFORMATION.

KIND REGARDS, ISABELLA OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA”

“DEAR OLIVIA AND JACOB, WE HAVE VERY RECENTLY DISCOVERED YOUR LOVELY PODCAST.  I AM DENIZ.  I AM 6 YEARS OLD AND I LIVE IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM.  WE ARE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST (AT LEAST A COUPLE OF EPISODES EACH TIME) WITH MY DADDY EVERY MORNING WHILE WE ARE HAVING OUR BREAKFAST.  WE LOVE IT!  I AM A BIT CURIOUS ABOUT GIRAFFES!  I LOVE GIRAFFES AND I WONDER HOW GIRAFFES CAN KICK WITH THEIR LEGS SO HARD.  I’D BE HAPPY IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT GIRAFFES IN ONE OF YOUR NEXT EPISODES.  

LOVE, DENIZ (AND MY DADDY)”

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA, WE LIVE IN KINGSTON UPON THAMES IN ENGLAND.  MY NAME IS EMMA, AMD MY LITTLE SISTER IS ALICE.  WE ARE 6 AND 3 YEARS OLD.  WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  MY FAVORITE WAS THE EPISODE ABOUT DOLPHINS.  I AM REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT GIRAFFES.  I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW LONG THEIR NECKS ARE AND WHY THEY HAVE BLACK TONGUES.  CAN YOU DO ONE SOON PLEASE?  

LOTS OF LOVE, EMMA”

“I LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST ALL THE TIME AND I LOVE IT!  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT GIRAFFES, OCTOPUSES, AND CANDLES.

LENA OF KENT CITY, MICHIGAN”

O:  THAT’S A TALL STACK OF MAIL IN OUR MAILBAG FROM LISTENERS THAT WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GIRAFFES.  WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ALL ABOUT GIRAFFES FOR ISABELLA, DENIZ, EMMA, AND LENA.  FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE LISTENED TO OUR OLDEST EPISODES, YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT WE DISCUSSED GIRAFFES BRIEFLY IN EPISODE NUMBER ONE, CURIOUS ABOUT SLEEP.  IN THAT EPISODE, WE LEARNED THAT GIRAFFES SLEEP FOR A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME EVERY DAY, MUCH LESS THAN HUMANS.  

D:  WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THE SLEEPING PATTERS OF GIRAFFES AND SO MUCH MORE, BUT FIRST, HOW ABOUT YOU SHARE THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS HOW BIG IS A GIRAFFE’S HEART?

D:  VERY INTERESTING.  I WOULD THINK IT’S GOT TO BE PRETTY BIG TO PUMP BLOOD ALL OVER THE GIGANTIC ANIMAL’S BODY, BUT HOW BIG IS IT?  OR MAYBE I’M WAY OFF AND IT’S TINY.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?

O:  GIRAFFES ARE KNOWN FOR BEING SUPER TALL.  THEY ARE THE TALLEST LAND ANIMAL IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.  THEY HAVE VERY LONG NECKS THAT HELP CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR HEIGHT.  

D:  MALE GIRAFFES ARE A BIT TALLER THAN FEMALE GIRAFFES, ALTHOUGH BOTH ARE VERY TALL.  THE MALES CAN GROW UP TO 18 FEET, OR FIVE AND A HALF METERS TALL.  FEMALE GIRAFFES CAN GET AS TALL AS 14 FEET (OR 4.3 METERS) TALL.   

O:  THE LEGS OF A GIRAFFE ALONE ARE TALLER THAN MOST HUMANS.  AN AVERAGE GIRAFFE HAS LEGS THAT ARE ABOUT SIX FEET TALL.  

D:  IN ADDITION TO BEING THE TALLEST MAMMALS IN THE WORLD, THEY ALSO HAVE THE LONGEST TAILS OF ALL MAMMALS.  THEIR TAILS CAN GROW UP TO EIGHT FEET LONG.

O:  EVEN THOUGH GIRAFFES HAVE LONG NECKS, THEIR NECKS ARE TOO SHORT FOR THEIR BODIES.  LET ME EXPLAIN.  LET’S SAY A GIRAFFE IS STANDING NICE AND TALL, AND THE GIRAFFE IS THIRSTY.  THE GIRAFFE BENDS IT’S NECK ALL THE WAY TO DRINK SOME WATER OUT OF A POND.  GUESS WHAT!  THE GIRAFFE’S NECK WON’T BE LONG ENOUGH TO REACH THE WATER.  THAT’S WHY GIRAFFES NEED TO BEND THEIR FRONT LEGS IN ORDER TO HELP THEM REACH THE WATER BELOW.  

D:  SINCE GIRAFFES ARE SO TALL, YOU WOULD THINK THEY WEIGH A LOT TOO.  WELL, YOU WOULD BE RIGHT.  MALE GIRAFFES CAN WEIGH AS MUCH AS 3,000 POUNDS, WHILE FEMALE GIRAFFES CAN WEIGH MORE THAN 2,500 POUNDS.  

O:  EVEN THOUGH THEY WEIGH A LOT, GIRAFFES ARE NOT THE HEAVIEST LAND ANIMAL IN THE WORLD.  THEY ARE ACTUALLY THE THIRD HEAVIEST ANIMAL, BEHIND ELEPHANTS AND RHINOCEROSES. 

D:  GIRAFFES ARE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS, AND THEY HAVE DISTINCTIVE SPOTS THAT COVER MOST OF THEIR BODIES.  THE SPOTS ON A GIRAFFE ARE KIND OF LIKE FINGERPRINTS ON HUMANS.  NO TWO GIRAFFES HAVE THE SAME SPOT PATTERN, JUST LIKE NO TWO HUMANS SHARE THE SAME EXACT FINGERPRINTS.  

O:  THE NECK OF A GIRAFFE CAN BE OVER SEVEN FEET LONG, WHICH IS ABOUT HALF OF IT’S TOTAL HEIGHT.  EVEN THOUGH THE GIRAFFE NECK IS SO MUCH LONGER THAN THE HUMAN NECK, GIRAFFES HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF VERTEBRAE IN THEIR NECKS, SEVEN.  

D:  OUR LISTENER EMMA, ALSO WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UNIQUE GIRAFFE TONGUE.  A GIRAFFE’S TONGUE IS VERY DARK IN COLOR, USUALLY A DARK BLUE, PURPLE, OR EVEN BLACK COLOR.  WE AREN’T EXACTLY SURE WHY THEIR TONGUES ARE SO DARK, BUT ONE OF THE POPULAR THEORIES IS THAT THE DARK TONGUE COLOR HELPS PROTECT THEIR TONGUES FROM THE SUN’S RAYS, BECAUSE THEIR TONGUE IS EXPOSED SO MUCH WHILE THEY EAT THE LEAVES FROM THE TOPS OF TREES.     

O:  GIRAFFES ALSO HAVE VERY LONG TONGUES.  A GIRAFFE’S TONGUE CAN BE ABOUT 20 INCHES LONG… THAT’S MORE THAN A FOOT AND A HALF!  GIRAFFE TONGUES ARE ALSO PREHENSILE, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO GRAB AND TWIST OBJECTS.  

D:  GIRAFFES ALSO HAVE MASSIVE HOOVES, THAT ARE ABOUT A FOOT IN DIAMETER.  THOSE HUGE HOOVES HELP THEM STAND TALL AND KEEP THEIR BALANCE.  

O:  AND, LIKE OUR LISTENER DENIZ SAID, THEY CAN KICK VERY, VERY HARD WITH THOSE HOOVES.  A SINGLE STRONG KICK FROM A GIRAFFE CAN HURT, OR EVEN KILL, ANIMALS LIKE LIONS AND TIGERS.  

D:  BUT ANIMALS, EVEN ANIMALS AS STRONG AS LIONS AND TIGERS, DON’T USUALLY MESS WITH GIRAFFES.  A GIRAFFE CAN BEAT JUST ABOUT ANY LAND ANIMAL, ONE ON ONE, IN A BATTLE.  

O:  THAT’S WHY LOTS OF ANIMALS THAT AREN’T AS STRONG AS GIRAFFES, LIKE ZEBRAS FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE TO HANG OUT WITH GIRAFFES.  THEY KNOW THAT IF PREDATORS TRIED TO ATTACK, THEY WOULD BENEFIT FROM BEING CLOSE TO A POWERFUL GIRAFFE.  

D:  EVEN THOUGH GIRAFFES CAN BADLY HURT ANIMALS IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO, GIRAFFES ARE SUPER FRIENDLY.  THEY ARE GENTLE AND SENSITIVE.  

O:  SOME ZOOS EVEN ALLOW PEOPLE TO FEED GIRAFFES.  I REMEMBER FEEDING A GIRAFFE MYSELF A FEW YEARS AGO.  IT WAS SO MUCH FUN.  

D:  ALL GIRAFFES HAVE TWO HORNS ON THEIR HEADS.  EVEN THOUGH MALES AND FEMALES BOTH HAVE HORNS, THEIR HORNS ARE A BIT DIFFERENT.  MALE HORNS ARE A BIT THICKER, AND ALSO LESS HAIRY, THAN FEMALE HORNS.  

O:  FEMALE GIRAFFES HAVE BABY GIRAFFES, ALSO CALLED CALVES, WHILE THEY ARE STANDING.  THAT MEANS THAT THE CALF WILL DROP TO THE GROUND WHEN IT IS BORN.  THAT’S AN INTERESTING WAY TO COME INTO THE WORLD.

D:  GIRAFFE CALVES ARE VERY BIG, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE BORN.  THEY WEIGH ABOUT 100 POUNDS AT BIRTH AND CAN BE OVER SIX FEET TALL.  

O:  CALVES WILL LIVE WITH THEIR MOTHER UNTIL ABOUT TWO YEARS OF AGE.  BY THE AGE OF SIX, GIRAFFES ARE FULLY GROWN.  MALE GIRAFFES ARE CALLED BULLS, WHILE FEMALE GIRAFFES ARE CALLED COWS.    

D:  TIME FOR A MIND-BLOWING FACT.  GIRAFFES CAN STAND UP LESS THAN AN HOUR AFTER THEY ARE BORN.  THAT’S INSANE.

O:  ANOTHER INSANE FACT.  GIRAFFES CAN RUN VERY FAST.  IN A SPRINT, THEY CAN RUN ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR.    

D:  GIRAFFES STAND ALMOST ALL DAY LONG, SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN THEY’RE SLEEPING.  AS YOU MAY REMEMBER FROM THE FIRST EPISODE OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST, GIRAFFES SLEEP VERY LITTLE.  THEY CAN GET BY JUST FINE WITH ONLY 30 MINUTES OF SLEEP, OR EVEN LESS, PER DAY.  

O:  GIRAFFES ARE NATIVE TO THE BEAUTIFUL CONTINENT OF AFRICA.   THEY LIKE LIVING IN VERY DRY PLACES, AND THEY ARE COMFORTABLE IN THE HEAT OF AFRICA.  

D:  THEIR DIET CONSISTS MOSTLY OF ACACIA LEAVES AND SHOOTS.  THEY DON’T ENJOY EATING GRASS AS MUCH.  IN A SINGLE DAY, GIRAFFES ARE CAPABLE OF EATING ABOUT 100 POUNDS OF LEAVES AND TWIGS.  THAT’S UNREAL.  

O:  THEY CAN ALSO SPEND ABOUT THREE-QUARTERS OF THEIR TIME LOOKING FOR FOOD AND EATING FOOD.  

D:  THEY DON’T DRINK MUCH WATER, BECAUSE THEY ARE ABLE TO GET THE HYDRATION THEY NEED FROM THE PLANTS THAT THEY EAT.  ALRIGHT, WE’VE LEARNED A TON ABOUT BEAUTIFUL GIRAFFES, BUT WE HAVEN’T LEARNED ABOUT THE GIRAFFE HEART YET, SO LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  HOW BIG IS A GIRAFFE’S HEART?

O:  A GIRAFFE’S HEART WEIGHS ABOUT 25 POUNDS (OR 11 KILOGRAMS), WHICH MEANS THAT IT’S ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS A TWO YEAR OLD HUMAN.  GIRAFFE’S HAVE THE BIGGEST HEART OF ANY LAND ANIMAL.  THE HEART OF A GIRAFFE IS ABOUT TWO FEET LONG.  HOLY MOLY, THAT’S A GIGANTIC HEART.  

D:  IT SURE IS.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  217 - GIRAFFES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB ISABELLA, DENIZ, EMMA, AND LENA FOR THE BIG-HEARTED EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE, WE HAVE A SPECIAL LISTENER TO THANK.

O:  A BIG THANKS TO USERNAME MAMA TO A BABY FOR THE AWESOME FIVE STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “AMAZING FAMILY PODCAST!  WE HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO JACOB AND OLIVIA EVERY DAY, AND MY KIDS (PHONEIX, 9 YEARS OLD, AND LAYLA, 7 YEARS OLD) ENJOY EACH EPISODE.  WE LISTEN IN THE CAR AND THEN THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED AT DINNER!  WE ALL LOVE IT AND ARE SO IMPRESSED BY THE CONTENT.  HIGHLY RECOMMEND!”

O:  THAT REVIEW IS SO SPECIAL.  IT MADE US FEEL SO GREAT TO READ THAT WONDERFUL REVIEW.  

D:  REVIEWS HELP SO MUCH IN HELPING NEW LISTENERS DISCOVER THE PODCAST.  IF YOU LOVE LISTENING TO CURIOUS KID PODCAST, OR ANY OTHER PODCAST, FOR THAT MATTER, THERE’S JUST ABOUT NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO SHOW YOUR LOVE THAT BEATS LEAVING A 5 STAR REVIEW.  WE READ EACH AND EVERY REVIEW, AND THEY MEAN SO MUCH TO US.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT GERMS FOR LISTENERS IN ALABAMA, COLORADO,  AUSTRALIA, AND CANADA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.