Giraffe

Here’s a tall tale for you. With their distinctive long necks, giraffes are the world’s tallest mammal. But did you know that they also have the longest tail of any land mammal? They can be up to 2.4 m long, including the tuft on the end, which is used for waving away flies.

Each giraffe’s spotty coat is unique to the individual animal, and a number of subspecies of giraffe are recognized by their differing skin patterns. A giraffe’s walk is unique too. They move the limbs on one side of their body together, then the other side together. This allows them to make longer strides and save energy in the hot African sun.