RETICULATED GIRAFFE

Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata); named for the network of lines (reticulum) that makes up its color pattern.

Fascinating creatures, the males can get to be 18 feet tall, and can weigh over 2 tons (1,900 kg)...females slightly shorter and lighter. Their height makes it tough to get a drink of water...when they drop their heads quickly from that height blood rushes to their head and might literally blow their minds if it weren't for valves in their arteries that prevent that back flow. Most mammals have such valves only in their veins which maintains a one way flow of blood through the cardiovascular system.

Did I mention a tongue that is 18 inches (46cm) long? Very useful in stripping leaves from branches.