Picture trying to survive in the dry grasslands of Africa. For many animals, a habitat like this would be impossible. Yet the giraffe, a mammal up to 5.5 meters tall, thrives there, thanks to features that scientists call adaptations: traits that help a living thing survive in its environment.
Consider a neck up to 2 meters long: this adaptation lets it reach leaves high in trees. Equally important is a tough, dark tongue about 45 centimeters long, which wraps around branches and avoids sharp thorns. Without these traits, the giraffe would struggle to last a single season.
As a herbivore, the giraffe is an animal that eats only plants; it depends on acacia leaves and twigs. Its behavior matters as much as its body: it sleeps only a few minutes at a time, often standing up. Behaviors like this are adaptations too, even though you cannot see them in a photograph.
The next generation faces the same challenges. Young giraffes, called calves, depend on their surroundings and on adult care. A calf drops about 2 meters to the ground when it is born and stands within an hour.
Perhaps most remarkable of all: the giraffe is the tallest animal on Earth. Facts like this remind us that every animal's body tells a story about the place it lives.