Memphis Zoo Shares a Day in the Life of Their Baby Giraffe and It’s Precious
Have you ever wondered how a baby giraffe spends his days? Okay, I hadn't either, but now that I've seen it, I want to see more! The Memphis Zoo shared a video of a day in the life of their baby giraffe Fitz, and it's the cutest thing you'll see today! They shared the video on Wednesday, August 21st, and like many little ones, he spends a lot of his time eating and waiting for snacks!
The video starts with his human butlers (the zookeepers) bringing him his morning meal and cleaning up the 'chocolates' in his enclosure. Throughout the day he eats and looks forward to getting treats, he takes a nap with a friend, and hangs out with his dad. It's all too cute!
I was shocked that there were no fans waiting to see Fitz! Where were all the people? Memphis Zoo commenter Mikki was thinking the same thing I was, "Fitz needs more fans today? I’m on my way!" and @Utah's Hogle Zoo said simply, "This is so fun!" I couldn't agree more!
Related: Baby Giraffe Gets the Zoomies and People Can’t Get Enough
Little-Known Fact About Giraffes and Sleeping
Since writing about pets and animals over the past couple of years, I've learned a lot of random facts about them. One of my favorite facts about giraffes has to do with how much, or rather how little, they sleep. Giraffes have one of the shortest sleep durations among all land mammals and it's probably even less than you might guess. Wildlife FAQ explains, "On average, adult giraffes sleep for about 30 minutes a night, and their entire sleep cycles are typically around 35 minutes or shorter. This brief period of sleep is divided into short bursts that rarely exceed five minutes. Despite their limited sleep time, giraffes seem to function well and thrive in their natural habitat." Baby giraffes don't sleep a whole lot more than that, they only sleep a few hours a night total.
Giraffes sleep so little for two main reasons: to protect themselves (and their babies) from predators and because they're constantly on the move for food. As Fitz mentioned in the video they eat about 21 hours a day. Sciencing shared, "In the wild, the typical giraffe diet is almost exclusively leaves, and the animal eats up to 75 pounds of them a day. In captivity, giraffes are fed leaves, some fruits, hay and vegetables, as well as specially designed giraffe food, often in pellet form." The leaves they prefer come from Acacia trees, but in the wild they'll eat whatever they can find. They prioritize feeding over sleep, and spend their time grazing and digesting food. Needless to say, I'm glad that I'm not a giraffe because I prefer sleeping over eating!
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