By Dr. Marian Fritzemeier, Ed.D.
I’ve loved giraffes since I was a little girl. My mom would ask me, “What sound does the giraffe make?”
“No noise,” I answered while shaking my head no.
I was excited to learn that there’s a World Giraffe Day. Every time I visit the Palm Springs area, I visit The Living Desert. The first exhibit I visit is the giraffes.
I go see “my baby” giraffe. I enjoy watching him grow up. I’m including some of my favorite photos.
Another baby giraffe was born this spring but I don’t have any photos yet. When I visit in July, you can bet that I’ll go directly to the giraffes to see “my babies.”
Do Giraffes Make Noise?
Giraffes don’t usually make any sounds although they do have a developed larynx. 1 The larynx is located up at the head end of the neck.
Raymond Nakamura states, “Giraffes have narrower trachea than other big mammals which reduces the amount of dead air. They breathe slowly and have disproportionately large lungs to accommodate this dead air.” 1
Because of this, giraffes can only run for short periods of time. They also don’t have a lot of extra air for making sounds. So now you know.
Source:
What does a giraffe sound like? By Raymond Nakamura. March 24, 2011. https://www.scienceworld.ca/blog/what-does-giraffe-sound. Accessed 6/21/20