What Is a Group of Giraffes Called?

What Is a Group of Giraffes Called?

A group of giraffes is most often called a tower — a fittingly literal name for a cluster of the tallest land animals on Earth standing together. When that same group is on the move, it’s more commonly called a journey. Both terms are widely accepted, and which one you’ll hear often just depends on whether the giraffes are standing still or walking.

Where Do These Terms Come From?

Unlike terms such as “murder of crows” or “parliament of owls,” which trace back to English hunting and hawking traditions from the 15th century, giraffe collective nouns can’t come from that source — giraffes were essentially unknown in medieval England. Instead, most giraffe group terms are much more recent inventions, coined in the 19th and 20th centuries by travelers, naturalists, and zoo and wildlife writers describing African wildlife to Western audiences. “Tower” and “journey” in particular became popular through 20th-century nature writing and have since become the accepted standards.

Why Giraffes Have So Many Collective Nouns

Giraffes live in what biologists call a fission-fusion society: individuals join and leave groups frequently, so a “group” of giraffes isn’t a fixed, stable unit the way a wolf pack is. Group size and composition shift by the hour depending on food, predators, and who happens to be nearby. That fluidity may be part of why so many different collective nouns have stuck around — caravan and corps evoke a loose, moving assembly; herd is the generic catch-all; and totter, reserved specifically for a group of wobbly newborn calves, captures a very particular, very charming moment in a giraffe’s life (calves attempt their first steps within about 30 minutes of a 6-foot birth-drop to the ground).

Giraffe Facts

• Adult male giraffes can stand up to 18 feet tall, making them the tallest land animal on Earth.
• Despite that height, giraffes have the same seven cervical vertebrae as almost every other mammal — including humans — just dramatically elongated.
• A giraffe’s tongue is 18 to 20 inches long, dark bluish-purple (likely to resist sunburn), and prehensile, letting it strip leaves from thorny acacia branches with precision.
• Giraffe calves drop about 6 feet to the ground at birth and typically stand and attempt their first steps within roughly 30 minutes — the origin of the term “totter” for a group of newborns.
• Giraffes live around 20 to 25 years in the wild.

Examples in a Sentence

“A tower of giraffes gathered near the watering hole at dusk.”

“We watched a journey of giraffes cross the open plain in single file.”

All the Names for a Group of Giraffes

Tower (standing) and journey (moving) are the two most widely accepted terms today. Herd is used as a general, catch-all term. Caravan and corps evoke a formal, procession-like group, often used in older or more literary writing. Stretch plays on the giraffe’s long neck. Totter refers specifically to a group of newborn calves.

Read more in A Tower of Giraffes, or see what other animals form a tower or form a caravan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a group of giraffes called?

A group of giraffes is most commonly called a tower when standing, or a journey when moving. Caravan, herd, and corps are also used.

Why is a group of giraffes called a tower?

Tower is a literal reference to the giraffe’s height — a group of the tallest land animals on Earth standing together resembles a small skyline.

What is a group of baby giraffes called?

A group of newborn giraffe calves is sometimes called a totter, referencing the wobbly first steps calves take shortly after birth.

How tall are giraffes?

Adult male giraffes can stand up to 18 feet tall, making them the tallest land animal on Earth.

Do giraffes have more neck bones than other animals?

No. Giraffes have the same seven cervical vertebrae as almost all other mammals, including humans — the bones are just much longer.