Tallest Giraffe In The World: Fun Fact You May Not Know
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Giraffes have always stood out and captivated human interest at zoos and national parks but, Forest is unique.
A prior resident of the Auckland Zoo where he was born in 2007, Forest was moved to the Australia Zoo in Queensland at two years of age. Since moving, he has grown to be an instrumental part of the zoo and continues to reside there.
This towering guy, evenly matched in height when measured against a stack of four adult men, claimed a spot in the Guinness World Records as the tallest living giraffe.
It was a special moment for the Irwin family and it was Bindi Irwin, the daughter of late conservationist Steve Irwin, who brought the news out to the public and added, "Our sweetheart Forest has officially made it into the Guinness World Records for being the tallest living giraffe!
We are proud of our towering guy, he has such a wonderful heart."
Her brother, Robert Irwin, who is an award-winning photographer went on Twitter to further spread the word.
Keep reading to discover more facts about the world's tallest giraffe! If you like this article, go on and check out longest living dog breed and longest toenailsto discover some amazing lesser-known facts and much more.
The Average Height Of A Giraffe
On average, newborn giraffes stand as tall as an adult man, about 6 ft (1.8 m), while adult males (bulls) boast a towering height ranging between 15-18 ft (4.6- 5.5 m). Interestingly, an adult Angolan giraffe discovered by scientists had a height of 8.5 ft (2.6 m), making it one of the shortest giraffes in the world.
Giraffes are the undisputed winners in the list of the world's tallest terrestrial animals! However, these animals face the crisis of a silent extinction, with some species being categorized by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Vulnerable and other subspecies getting featured in the Endangered or Critically Endangered list.
What is the tallest giraffe in the world?
A member of the Masai giraffe subspecies, Forest was born at the Auckland Zoo in 2007 and was moved to Queensland's Australia Zoo when he was two years old. At 13 years of age, he currently stands 18.8 ft (5.7 m) tall and holds the world record as the tallest living giraffe.
The big towering guy, who surpasses the average giraffe height by a significant margin of 7.8 in (20 cm), is featured in the Guinness World Records book.
Not only is Forest a record holder but he also contributes to the giraffe breeding program at the Australia Zoo and till now, has fathered 12 calves. It won't be surprising if Forest's genes enable one of his offspring to take over the world record from their father in the future.
However, he is not the only record holder at the Australia Zoo as Bindi Irwin too broke the records for having the most number of Instagram followers among TV naturalists.
How tall is the tallest giraffe?
With a statuesque stature at 18.8 ft (5.7 m), Forest gained recognition as the world's tallest giraffe and was honored with the title by the Guinness World Records.
As the only male in his herd, Forest towers over the other two giraffes by a considerable margin. In fact, a special measuring pole equipped with a hay dispenser had to be customized in the giraffe house solely for scaling down the height from the ground to the tip of the giraffe's head.
Further, in order to accurately capture the height with a measuring pole, the giraffe had to be constantly encouraged with food. It is needless to mention that the overall task wasn't routine.
Tallest Giraffe Weight
In general, the average weight of an adult male giraffe is estimated to range between 2628-3000 lb (1192- 1361 kg).
However, Forest is a big animal even among the world's tallest species and it is known via authorities of the Guinness World Records that the animal's height is the same as a stack of four mini cars.
While Forest's weight cannot be concluded with accuracy until more data gets uncovered, it is known that the previous record holder, George, was massive and weighed approximately 5000 lb (2268 kg).
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for tallest giraffe then why not take a look atlongest tapeworm, or giraffe facts.
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