Giraffe, Okonjima February 2011

I always see plenty of giraffe in Namibia- after a couple of weeks you may even begin to overlook them because they are so frequently present. However they are are remarkably bizarre yet beautiful animals which are always entertaining to watch.

Their elongated limbs and neck can mean that some positions are clumsy and awkward- such as drinking, when they have to spread ther forelegs into a big triangle in order for their head to reach the ground, and must spring up again to bring their legs back together. Yet a running giraffe is extremely graceful; they canter with a long, rolling stride and, despite seeming to move in slow motion, are very fast.