NeckA giraffe's neck has seven bones, the same number as yours. Each one is very long.
Front legThe front legs look longer than the hind legs. A giraffe defends itself by kicking.
Hind legThe hind legs look shorter than those in front.
TailA giraffe's tail is long and thin.
HoofGiraffes are hoofed animals. Each foot is about as wide as a dinner plate.
PatchesDark patches with pale lines between them. No two giraffes have the same pattern.
KneeTo drink, a giraffe spreads its front legs or bends the knees.
Tail tuftA tuft of long, dark hair that whisks flies away.
HumpLong spines of the backbone make this hump.
BackA giraffe's back slopes steeply from the shoulders down to the rump.
RumpThe rear of the body. A giraffe lying down may rest its head on its rump.
The head up close 5
EyeLarge eyes on the sides of the head give a wide view.
EarA giraffe can move its ears. Its hearing is sharp.
TongueAbout 45 centimeters (18 inches) long and dark. It can grasp a twig and pull off the leaves.
LipsThe lips can grip. The upper lip is hairy and flexible, which protects it from thorns.
OssiconesHorn-like knobs covered in skin and fur. Males and females both have them.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 against (1) Wikipedia, text only: Giraffe, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe (ossicones, neck, hump over the long spines of the thoracic vertebrae, front and hind legs, knees, hooves, tail ending in a dark tuft, coat patches, eyes on the sides of the head, movable ears, a dark tongue about 45 cm long, flexible hairy upper lip, rump); (2) San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Giraffe, https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/giraffe (seven neck vertebrae, ossicones on both sexes, a small hump on the back, coat patterns, 18-inch tongue and prehensile lips, eyelashes, legs, rump); (3) University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web, Giraffa camelopardalis, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Giraffa_camelopardalis/ (front legs longer than back legs, seven neck vertebrae, back sloping steeply from the shoulders to the rump, long thin tail with a black tuft that whisks away flies, ossicones, patches, hooves, ears); (4) Giraffe Conservation Foundation fact pages, https://giraffeconservation.org/facts-about-giraffe/ (tongue 45 to 50 cm, seven neck bones, ossicones covered in furred skin on males and females, every coat pattern unique, feet the size of dinner plates, forelegs splayed or knees bent to drink, rump). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. The outlines of the head, the neck, the body and the four legs were measured on one photograph, Masai Mara Giraffe, by HasselbladWhisperer, 2023, CC0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masai_Mara_Giraffe.jpg). Changed from the photograph: the tail hangs, the far feet stand on the same ground line, the ear is a little larger, the lump on the forehead is smoothed away, the mouth of the enlarged head is opened, and the coat patches are a pattern grown by the script, not the animal's own. The tongue round a twig follows the idea of the wood engraving Head of the Giraffe, The Penny Magazine, 1832, public domain; the twig, its leaves and the tongue are our own geometry. Licence: own drawing; outline after a CC0 photograph
How it works
The top drawing is a whole giraffe from the side. The bottom drawing is its head up close, reaching for a twig with its tongue.
Read the full guide
From the neck to the hooves
Numbers 1 to 11 are on the whole giraffe: the neck, the front and hind legs, the tail and its tuft, a hoof, the patches of the coat, the knee, and along the top the hump, the back and the rump. Numbers 12 to 16 are on the head: the eye, an ear, the tongue, the lips and the two ossicones.
The knobs on a giraffe's head are ossicones, not horns: they are covered in skin and fur.
The hump is where the neck meets the body. From there the back slopes down to the rump.
Questions and answers
What are the horns on a giraffe called?
Ossicones. They are horn-like knobs covered in skin and fur, and both males and females have them. Only giraffes and their closest relative, the okapi, have ossicones.
How many bones are in a giraffe's neck?
Seven, the same number as in a person's neck. Each of a giraffe's neck bones is very long: about 25 centimeters (10 inches).
How long is a giraffe's tongue?
About 45 centimeters (18 inches). It is dark, which may protect it from sunburn, and it can grasp a twig and strip off the leaves.
Are a giraffe's front legs longer than its back legs?
They look longer. Some references say the front legs are longer; others say the front and back legs are about the same length.