Brandon and Brandon

Tallest Land Mammal
May 25, 2017

Do you know who the first baseman is for the San Francisco Giants?

Brandon Belt

Do you know what his nickname is?

Baby Giraffe

Do you know how he got that name? Would it surprise you that not even my husband – Giants  fan extraordinaire – didn’t even know the source of it?

When Brandon was an up and coming player, he was playing in left field one day. He ran after a fly ball and the announcer for the Giants said he looked like a baby giraffe – apparently all legs – and it stuck.

Did you know that when a giraffe gave birth in 2011 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in San Francisco, they named him Brandon Belt (and, in my estimation, should have nicknamed him, "rookie Giant").

Well here they are together. 

 

Here’s a really cute video of their first meeting:    Brandon meets Brandon

So let’s look at some fun facts about the magnificent giraffe (from mentalfloss.com).

• How fast can giraffes run?
  35 mph for short distances
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• How many pounds of food per day does an adult giraffe require?
  Over 75 pounds of leaves
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• How often do giraffes need to drink water?
  Because of the water found in the plants that they eat, they only need to drink water once every other day or so.
• What are the two most vulnerable positions for an adult giraffe?
  Tripod legged while drinking at the water hole. They have to really be on the lookout for lions.
  Curled up on the ground asleep. Which is why they only do that for about 6 minutes at a time. The rest of the time they sleep upright so they can flee at a moment’s notice.
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• After arriving in this world, how long does it take for a baby giraffe to stand up and even run?
  About one hour.
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• How long are the tongues of adult giraffes?
  About 20 inches. And they are darkly colored, possibly as a protection from sun exposure.
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• Do you know where the giraffe’s scientific name, Giraffa camelopardalis, comes from?
  Ancient Greeks thought they looked like camels wearing leopards’ coats.
• How many vertebrae are in the human neck?
  Five.
  How many are in the giraffe neck?
  Five. Each vertebra can measure up to ten inches long.
• How big is the adult giraffe’s heart?
  It is a whopping 25 pounds and is about 2 feet long. It is highly specialized because of the animal’s long neck. Also the vessels in the neck have one-way valves that prevent excessive bloodflow to the brain when the giraffe bends down to drink.
• How do giraffes defend themselves from a predator?
  They have two basic choices: kick them really hard and send them flying or RUN!

Well, I don’t want to bore you to death with trivia about this lanky animal but they are one of my top three favorite African creatures. I think they are wonderful.

Isn’t it interesting how different giraffes are from all the other animals? They are very distinctive.

My children used to sing a little song from the “Jungle Jam” track that had this verse and chorus in it:

I’ve got a long, long, long, long neck (that’s right).
I’ve got a long, long, long neck.
And I’m as proud as I can be
Of the neck God put on me.

Everybody’s special, including you and me.
God made us just the way he wanted us to be.

Lord, thank you for this beautiful, graceful, magnificent creature we call the giraffe. And thank you for making them so unique. We are reminded that your attention to detail for them pales in comparison to the care you have given us. We are your special creations. And you are very pleased with us.