Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Giraffes
The giraffe is a very tall animal. In fact, it holds the record as the world's tallest land animal. A giraffe can be as tall as 19 feet. That's about as tall as a two-story building. A giraffe has four long, thin legs. The front legs are longer than the back legs. It can run fast. It is a mammal. Giraffes are probably best known for their long necks.
A mammal is an animal that has hair on its body. Mammals also give birth to live babies, and they feed the baby with milk from the mother's body. A giraffe's hair has patterns on it. The hair is a cream or tan color. There are large spots of darker brown. The spots are larger on the giraffe's body and smaller on its face. The spots help it to hide among the trees. Different types of giraffes have different patterns on their bodies.
A mother giraffe gives birth to a baby called a calf. The baby looks like its parents. The baby is much smaller, of course. It weighs about 130 pounds at birth. It is also six feet tall! That doesn't seem very small, does it? The baby calf can stand up when it is only twenty minutes old. The mother giraffe's body makes milk to feed her baby. The baby must stand to reach his mother's milk.
