The national animal of Tanzania is the giraffe. This is an exceptionally tall hoofed mammal and the tallest living terrestrial animal on Earth. Though they were once thought to be a single species, as many as eight species are now recognized. They are vitally important symbols of the natural Tanzanian landscape.
Few animals are so instantly recognizable and internationally iconic as the giraffe.
They are in appearance largely unlike any other living species, and thus they have played a very important role in local culture and myth in the places where they are found natively, including in Tanzania.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Tanzania?
The national animal of Tanzania is the giraffe.
Giraffes are hoofed mammals and ruminants, and of course, their chief characteristic which makes them completely unmistakable is their very long neck.
The name itself has its earliest origins in Arabic, and ultimately from Persian, meaning something like that they have flute legs.
One archaic English name for the animal was “camelopard”, referencing the fact that they were tall and shaped like camel and yet spotted almost like a leopard.
They are one of two living genera in their family in the broader order of hoofed mammals.
The other is the okapi, a smaller species native to Central Africa.
Depending on whom you ask, you may get a different answer about the classification of giraffes.
The IUCN currently recognizes only one species of which there are nine subspecies, and they were originally classified as only one species by Carl Linnaeus, a prolific naturalist, in 1758.
However, today, some would rather classify giraffes in as many as eight distinct species.
A fully grown giraffe stands as tall as 19 feet though it can range up from 14 feet.
They weigh around 2,628 pounds on average for an adult male and around 1,820 pounds for a female.
They have a relatively short body for their extremely long neck, and their skin is mostly gray or tan with brown spots.
Their bodies are around 31 to 39 inches long, and their tails feature a dark tuft of hair at the end which is used for swatting insects.
Their neck can be as long as 8 feet and typically rests at an angle of around 50-60 degrees.
It was traditionally believed that the long neck would aid them in reaching very high vegetation, but most naturalists question how much they actually eat beyond the reach of other browsers—the necks are often used for fighting between males.
Why is the giraffe the national animal of Tanzania?
The giraffe is the national animal of Tanzania for a variety of reasons.
On the one hand, they are seen as embodiments of many national values like strength, pride, courage, unity and boldness.
They often move in large herds and thus are seen to reflect the desire to work together.
Though in their somewhat awkward lankiness, they may not give the appearance of great danger, they are powerful creatures and are not typically threatened by much in their environment except in great need.
Thus, they are highly revered for all of these reasons in Tanzania.
On the other hand, though, Tanzania even among African nations is known for its extensive natural beauty and wild, unmolested landscapes, and to many giraffes are the perfect embodiment of this.
They are, literally, a part of the Tanzanian landscape and without them, the country would look immeasurably different.
Conservation, though, is also an important question to consider.
Giraffes are presently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, and thus steps will need to be taken in the future to ensure their survival in the face of illegal hunting and destruction of habitat.
Making them the national animal brings attention to this.
What do giraffes eat?
Giraffes are of course herbivores and eat mostly the leaves of tall trees, given that they would have a difficult time getting down to the lowest, ground-hugging vegetation.
They are most commonly known to eat the leaves of the acacia tree, and they will also eat the twigs.
They will also eat from mimosa trees and apricot trees, and they will eat as much as 66 pounds of food per day.
Again, though, they are not necessarily given to eating leaves from the highest branches and will very often bend down to the vegetation that other browsers can also access.
Where do giraffes live?
Giraffes are endemic to Africa and can be found over a fairly wide range.
They can be found as far north as southern Niger in small, isolated groups, in large parts of eastern Africa such as in Tanzania, and as far south as South Africa.
They tend to inhabit open plains and savannahs as anything denser than this can be tricky for them to navigate.
This, also, is where they can get the best access to the trees and vegetation on which they thrive best like the acacia tree.
So, they mostly prefer very open plains.
In Tanzania, then, few animals are seen to so embody the beauty of the natural geography as the giraffe.
They are emblematic of many aspects of national pride and they have come to be seen as the most important symbolic animal in the country.
It is in some ways surprising that, even in Africa, so few nations have chosen the giraffe as their national animal, striking images of power and freedom as they are.