Giraffes sleep for about 20 minutes per day in the wild, broken up into short segments. They tend to spend the majority of their time eating, hunting for food or allowing the food they have consumed to digest. The main predators of the giraffe are lions and humans, and they stay awake to keep as alert as possible to protect themselves. When a giraffe does sleep, it generally happens during the day while standing with its eyes open, because it is the most vulnerable to attacks when its throat is exposed. Giraffes typically lay down only at night, but it is often more for resting rather than for sleeping.
More about giraffes:
- Newborn giraffes are about 6 feet (1.8 m) tall at birth and usually can run within 24 hours of being born.
- In the wild, about 50% of giraffes are killed by predators within their first year after being born.
- A giraffe’s tongue is about 18 inches (46 cm) long.
- The pattern of a giraffe’s coat is as unique to each individual as a human’s fingerprint.
