The reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata or Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) is named because its rich orange-brown patches are clearly defined by a network of striking white lines – reticulated means constructed, arranged, or marked like a net or network. Native to the Horn of Africa – Somalia, southern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya – the males reach a towering 18 feet tall, allowing them to browse on leaves that other grazing herbivores can't reach. Giraffes curl their long, black tongues around leaves or new shoots in the upper branches of trees and pull them into their mouths. They prefer the thorny acacia tree to any other plant.
There are four species of giraffe – northern giraffe, southern giraffe, Masai giraffe and reticulated giraffe.
