Nubian giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis
There are five Nubian giraffes at Edinburgh Zoo – Ronnie, Arrow, Gerald, Fennessy and Gilbert. They arrived in 2021 to form a bachelor herd here at the zoo.
When you see our giraffes, it’s likely that they will eating – they can spend over 16 hours feeding a day! They browse on leaves using their tongues, which can measure up to 45cm.
As well as a long tongue, the Nubian giraffe is known for its long front legs. These legs give them a large stride and high running speed of up to 30mph.
The giraffes have horns on their heads called ossicones. All giraffes have two, but the Nubian giraffe has three extra ossicones on their forehead and behind their ears.
Nubian giraffes are a subspecies of the Northern giraffe. They are often recorded across western Ethiopia, central and western Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda. Less than 4,000 remain in the wild. They are listed as Critically Endangered.
Population
Decreasing
Diet
Herbivore
Habitat
Grasslands
Fact file
Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern
Giraffe feet are the size of a dinner plate with a diameter of 30cm
Giraffe tongues are bluish colour and between 45cm and 50cm long
These are among the tallest giraffe species! Males can grow to be 6 meters tall, and females around 4.5 meters tall
Female giraffe give birth standing up. Their young fall about two metres to the ground and can stand up within an hour of birth
Latest giraffe news...
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22 Oct 2025
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25 Jan 2023
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Keep up with our giraffes
Giraffe cam was launched to thank everyone who supported Edinburgh Zoo’s Giraffe About Town trail in 2022 which raised over £246,000 of vital funds for wildlife conservation in Scotland and across the globe.
Watch our giraffes live
How we're helping
As a wildlife conservation charity, we care for both the animals here at the zoo and work to protect endangered species around the world. Our partnership with Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) directly contributes to the restoration of giraffe in Uganda. We’re supporting staff training initiatives, conservation monitoring efforts, and RZSS WildGenes is helping GCF understand the success of their reintroduction programmes across the country.
GCF is the only organisation in the world that concentrates solely on the conservation and management of giraffe in the wild throughout Africa. They are an international science-based conservation organisation that provides innovative approaches to save giraffe in the wild.
Our giraffes are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) which ensures a healthy and genetically diverse population.
Find out more about RZSS giraffe conservation in Uganda