The West African Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardis peralta) is a large African ungulate. It is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon (Xbox).
Description[]
The West African Giraffe, also known as the Nigerian Giraffe, is a subspecies of northern giraffe. Like all giraffes, it represents the tallest extant land animal, reaching up to 5.5m (18ft) tall, with males being taller than females. Its most distinguishing features are its long neck and legs, which allows it to reach food from the top of high trees, which most other animals cannot get to. They mainly eat leaves, using their 18 inch long dark-purple tongues - believed to be this colour to protect it from the sun - to grab leaves whilst avoiding any thorns. Although a giraffe's neck can reach up to 2m (6.6ft) tall, it only contains seven vertebrae; the same number as most other mammals, including humans.
The West African giraffe, identifiable by its light-colored spots, is the most northerly and westerly of the giraffe subspecies. Although historically found across Western Africa, its range today is primarily limited to Niger and surrounding countries. Limited to only 49 individuals in the mid-1990s, extensive conservation efforts have bought the number of West African giraffes up to 450 adults as of 2016.
Zoo Tycoon (Xbox)[]
The West African giraffe is an adoptable animal in the Xbox version of Zoo Tycoon and is available in the base game. It is the first giraffe, and one of the first animals, available for adoption.
The West African giraffe is a Grassland animal.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The West African giraffe is listed as Endangered in the Zoo Tycoon franchise, but the species has since been reclassified as Vulnerable.