Notes

1: Though they are formidable—at up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) in height, the giraffe is the world's tallest mammal—they are feeding gently on vegetation.

2: they can run at speeds up to 55 miles (just under 90 kilometers) per hour. Mounkaila tells me that giraffes can eat 65 to 85 pounds (about 30 to 40 kilograms) of vegetation per day, and that they can go without water for weeks.

3: At one point, I watched a herd of 10 wrapping their 18-inch (almost 46-centimeter) black tongues around thorny acacia trees and combretum bushes.

4: An ecoregion is an area that has a certain climate, landforms, soils, plants, wildlife, and other factors.

5: The capital city, Niamey, is located on the river. Just east of Niamey is an area where giraffes are protected.

1: We're in Niger, in West Africa. Not long ago, it would have been almost impossible to find giraffes in this part of the continent, but today, the lanky creatures of Niger are making a comeback, thanks to the work of conservationists, Niger's government, and local villagers.

2: West African giraffes numbered in the thousands and their habitat stretched from Senegal's Atlantic Ocean coast to Chad, in the heart of the continent, but he does remember 1996, when their numbers fell to a mere 50, and their habitat dwindled to an area of Niger that was 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) long.

1: Mounkaila explains to me that not all giraffes are alike. There are nine subspecies of giraffe in Africa, each distinguished by geographic location, as well as the color, pattern, and shape of its spotted coat

2: In 1999, an estimated 140,000 giraffes inhabited Africa, but today, giraffes number fewer than 100,000.