The 'giraffe gazelle' that stands on two legs to eat
This antelope stands upright on two legs like a person to reach its food.
Which one is REALLY true about the Gerenuk?
The short version
The gerenuk is an East African antelope whose name means 'giraffe-necked.' Its very long neck and legs let it rise up and balance on its hind legs to browse branches no other antelope its size can reach. It almost never drinks — it gets nearly all its water straight from the leaves it eats.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Gerenuk rises up and balances on its two back legs to browse branches no other antelope its size can touch.
- ✓The Gerenuk has a name that means giraffe-necked.
- ✓The Gerenuk almost never drinks, taking nearly all the water it needs straight from the leaves it eats.
- ✓The Gerenuk survives in dry East African country where other animals struggle.
- ✓The Gerenuk has a neck and legs so long and thin they look stretched.
The Gerenuk is about 1.2× as long as a 7-year-old! 🤯
The full story
This animal looks like someone stretched a gazelle and taught it to stand like a person. Meet the gerenuk, an antelope from East Africa whose name means giraffe-necked. Its neck and legs are absurdly long and thin, and it uses them for one very clever trick. When the best leaves are too high to reach, the gerenuk simply rises up and balances on its two back legs, stretching its long neck to browse branches that no other antelope its size can touch. This opens up a whole layer of food all to itself. Even stranger, a gerenuk almost never needs to drink. It gets nearly all of the water it needs straight from the leaves it eats, so it can survive in dry country where other animals struggle. Graceful, gangly, and built to reach higher. Follow for more weird animal facts.
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“The Gerenuk rises up and balances on its two back legs to browse branches no other antelope its size can touch.”
“The Gerenuk swipes its long thin snout sideways through the water like a pair of tongs to snatch fish.”
“The Gerenuk has a name that means giraffe-necked.”