African Safari Photo Journal Post #2: Giraffes

This is the second post in an ongoing series showcasing STP customer Ray Boyd’s September 2007 African safari in Tanzania.

On day 2 of Ray Boyd’s African Safari, the group began their trek across Tanzania in custom Land Cruisers like this one (5 per vehicle). The roofs of the Land Cruisers pop up and make room for everyone to stand, creating spectacular viewing and photo opportunities.

The trip started off right — the first animal Ray saw was this extraordinary giraffe. He (or she) was 18 feet tall and weighed about 1 ton (his neck alone weighs nearly 550 pounds). From the looks of this photo, the giraffe is headed straight for that green tree. Thanks to his height (giraffes are the tallest animals in the world) he can feast on the leaves of the tallest trees.

Giraffes are unlike any other animal in the world. They’re even unlike each other — no two giraffes have the same pattern on their coats. Their markings, like our fingerprints, identify one giraffe from another. Giraffes also have prehensile tongues that can grasp leaves and other objects. And they’re the only animals born with horns.

Here’s a close up of a giraffe’s best friend, the oxpecker. Like many animals in Africa, the giraffe and the oxpecker have a symbiotic relationship. The oxpecker cleans the coat of the giraffe by picking out (and eating) unwanted parasites. It’s a good deal for both species.

Check back in a week or so for more photos from Ray’s African Safari! Or sign up for our RSS Feed and receive automatic updates from The Blogging Post. It’s that easy.