# What noise do giraffes make? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574 "2003-01-24T00:22:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PolskiKing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@PolskiKing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PolskiKing)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/1 "2003-01-24T00:22:57Z")
Cats meow. Cows moo. Lions roar. But how in the world do girraffes talk? =PK ---
**Author:** ![PolskiKing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@PolskiKing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PolskiKing)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/2 "2003-01-24T00:22:57Z")
Cats meow. Cows moo. Lions roar. But how in the world do girraffes talk? =PK ---
**Author:** ![PolskiKing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@PolskiKing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PolskiKing)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/3 "2003-01-24T00:24:25Z")
ugh i dunno why it posted so many times, i only posted once! honest! {computers have always been mean to me} -PK ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/4 "2003-01-24T00:24:37Z")
Wow. Six duplicate threads. Is that a record? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/5 "2003-01-24T00:25:41Z")
Whoa there, fella. Easy with that submit button! A sextupal (sp?) post is a new one on me. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/6 "2003-01-24T00:26:35Z")
Make that seven – I missed one! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/7 "2003-01-24T00:28:24Z")
I count seven. According to the[Wellington, NZ zoo](http://www.wcc.govt.nz/recreation/zoo/animals/giraffe.html), giraffes have been known to grunt, bleat, and moo, but they don’t do any of this very often. ---
**Author:** ![dave316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dave316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dave316)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/8 "2003-01-24T00:30:35Z")
a giraffe makes the same noise as a poster getting strangled by MANHATTAN ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/9 "2003-01-24T00:32:54Z")
This question was answered definitively by the South Park movie, I thought… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/10 "2003-01-24T00:47:23Z")
**yojimboguy** I make it a rule not to correct a poster’s spelling, but since you asked with the (sp?), the correct spelling is “sextuple”. 😃 Note to the OP: Press the submit button ONCE. The SDMB servers are VERY busy and it takes time to process all the simultaneous requests. IF you get a page not found type error, then go ahead and hit your back button, and submit ONCE again. Otherwise, just wait. It will post eventually. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/11 "2003-01-24T00:59:17Z")
I tried a real quick and dirty google search and came up with this: [http://www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/WEBSITES/silverstein/page16.htm](http://www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/WEBSITES/silverstein/page16.htm) Doesn’t answer the question, but it’s cute. According to this site: [http://www.stpaul.gov/depts/parks/comopark/zoo/giraffe.html](http://www.stpaul.gov/depts/parks/comopark/zoo/giraffe.html) > [@](#): > > Giraffe communicate danger by posture and retreat, and only rarely by a vocal noise. It doesn’t mention what this rare vocal noise sounds like, though. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/12 "2003-01-24T01:21:57Z")
I closed five copies and merged the two that had responses. The hamsters are doing cloning experiments, I guess. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/13 "2003-01-24T01:38:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fretful Porpentine \* > \*\*I count seven. > > According to the[Wellington, NZ zoo](http://www.wcc.govt.nz/recreation/zoo/animals/giraffe.html), giraffes have been known to grunt, bleat, and moo, but they don’t do any of this very often. \*\* [hijack] …My local, insignificant, zoo, has been cited in a SDMB thread! [hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/14 "2003-01-24T01:44:44Z")
hey, let’s remember to CLOSE those [hijack] tags… [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/15 "2003-01-24T15:44:39Z")
I saw a show about this recently, believe it or not. It was recently learned that giraffes communicate with each other over long distances by emitting very low tones by way of turning their faces up to the sky, stretching their necks, and blowing air out. It creates a sort of rumble, much like an elephant rumble. The show contained video tape of a biologist studying the phenomenon by sequestering a giraffe from view of other giraffes and watching her reaction when other giraffes in the zoo exhibited this behavior. Much like a cat, the giraffe’s ears pricked up and turned toward the sound (or virbrations) and she became agitated. ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/16 "2003-01-24T16:01:49Z")
I think I saw the same show **plnnr** references, called “Tall Blondes” and hosted by Diane Sawyer. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/17 "2003-01-24T16:12:22Z")
Lynn Neery, but the same show. ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/18 "2003-01-24T17:46:25Z")
According to the Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom, they make a noise like a sheep (bleating). And Disney would not lie to me! Susan ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/19 "2003-01-24T17:55:13Z")
I also watched the PBS show mentioned by **plnnr** and **mico**. A quick search leads to this section on giraffe communication shown on Nature’s [Tall Blondes](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/tallblondes/infrasound.html). Pretty fascinating stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574/20 "2003-01-24T18:05:52Z")
Plus, giraffes fart quite loudly. Not for communication, I’m sure, but it’s still a noise. Sorry, not cite, just personal experience (San Diego zoo, 1987). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-noise-do-giraffes-make/150574.md?page=2)