The Giraffe Personality

Giraffe Characteristics: Good-looking • Confident • Sophisticated • Uncompromising • Snooty
Scientific Name: Giraffa camelopardalis
Collective Term: A loft of giraffe 

The Giraffe Personality

Giraffes are graceful, well-groomed individuals moving through life with the confidence and elegance that only big game animals exhibit. Michael Jordan is a typical giraffe; Tall, good-looking, and successful, he stands heads and shoulders above the rest of the animal kingdom. In full stride with their long legs pumping, giraffes effortlessly cruise through the day. 

The Source of the Giraffe Personality's Confidence

Giraffes are not particularly arrogant, but have an extraordinary talent for becoming the center of attention. Although their highly visible frames make them somewhat self-conscious, they would never dream of hiding their height by stooping. Even though they don’t capitalize on their size, giraffes are perpetually worried about what other people think, and they are an easy target for jealous backbiters.

Since most of the giraffe's self-confidence stems from its physical stature, it is fastidious about its appearance, and its tastes in consumer goods are refined and expensive, and lean toward Armani and Mercedes.

A Little Vain?

Giraffes spend a great deal of their personal time shopping or showing off their latest purchases. They certainly could be accused of being somewhat self-conscious and maintain an aloof posture designed to enhance their image. Giraffes have little need for worldly goods other than personal possessions that serve to enhance their prestige, and would rather own a few prized possessions than money in the bank – so their ambitions are limited to having a comfortable living environment, close friends, and universal admiration. 

Their living spaces tend to be untidy, large apartment or sparsely furnished loft being the giraffe's preferred living environment. When (and if) they decide to go to work, giraffes can make a good living with their physical attributes alone – mostly as models or dancers. Their heightened aesthetic sense makes giraffes naturally suited for the creative arts, including writing and acting. But as athletes they have no equal.

Intellectually, giraffes are no owls, but then they've never had to rely on their wits to compete... their graceful presence and charms grant them a serene and gentle passage. When necessary though, they display a sharp wit and an engaging sense of humor.

Giraffes in the Wild

The tallest animal in the world, the giraffe tops out at eighteen feet. Living in herds with casual social structures, the females and their offspring live separately from groups of males.

The thirteenth-century Arabic writings of Zakariya al-Qaswini declared, "The giraffe is produced by the camel mare, the male hyena, and the wild cow," and the mystique surrounding the giraffe persists to this day.

Some observers believe that giraffes never sleep, although they certainly do, for about thirty minutes a day. Another puzzle surrounding the giraffe is its unusually large voice box, and for a long time it was believed that giraffes were mute. Naturalists are still unsure why such a large voice system rarely gets used.

Careers & Hobbies

Model • Dancer • Writer • Actor • Athlete
Basketball • Gossiping • Hiking • Shopping

Love & Friendship

Giraffes are archetypal romantics and suitors are in for an agreeable surprise when they first encounter the giraffe's prehensile tongue. Candlelit dinners with classical music and a bottle of French wine make it go weak at the knees. 

But like everything else in their lives, giraffes are awfully picky about their lovers and would never dream of stooping below their station. So although they don't have many choices when it comes to marriage, elephants, bison, and rhinos are always delighted to have a giraffe on their arms.

As a member of the cloven hoof society, the obvious choices for long-term unions would be one of the large ungulate personalities including the zebra, horse, hippo and deer. With a shared love of the outdoors -- and common distaste for small hyperactive rodents – they spend hours strolling about and chewing the cud. But, the ideal mate for the giraffe is the splendid sable. This proud animal is a perfect match for the picky giraffe and the resulting union is powerful and enduring.

This isn't to say that a giraffe is incapable of a carnivorous love affair. In fact, some sterling friendships result when a giraffe gets together with a wildcat, wolf or otter. But even with a high level of mutual respect and powerful sexual attraction, long-term marriages between these mismatched species rarely succeed. 

Famous Giraffe Personalities