Giraffe Deck - Animal Adventure Park, New York, USA

Up on the giraffe feeding deck at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, the view sits right at head height for the tallest animals in the park. Oliver, the park’s original bull giraffe, often strolls up to the railing to browse, with the wooded hills of New York’s Southern Tier glowing behind him in autumn.

On busy days, visitors climb the deck to hand-feed the giraffes lettuce at eye level, and a dark tongue about 18 inches (45 cm) long wraps around each leaf. The tongue’s dark color is thought to help protect it from sunburn while the giraffe feeds.

Oliver fathered calves with April, the park’s famous mother giraffe whose births drew huge audiences online. A grown bull can stand about 18 feet (5.5 m) tall, and his heart weighs around 25 pounds (11 kg) to pump blood all the way up to his head.

Did You Know? Despite its huge length, a giraffe’s neck has just seven bones, the same number as a human’s, but each one can be about 10 inches (25 cm) long.

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