You’re standing in the savanna. The heat is shimmering off the grass, and suddenly, you see them. Necks. Just... a lot of necks. If they’re moving, you’re looking at a journey. If they’re just standing there, munching on acacia thorns like they're potato chips, you’re looking at a tower. Most people think "a group of giraffes is called" a herd, and they aren't technically wrong, but it’s the most boring way to describe the tallest mammals on Earth.
It's a tower. A tower of giraffes.
There is something inherently funny about the English language's obsession with collective nouns. We have a "murder" of crows and a "business" of ferrets. But "tower" actually makes physical sense. When a group of giraffes stands still, they create a vertical skyline that breaks the horizon in a way no other animal can.
The Tower vs. The Journey: Does Movement Matter?
Terminology matters here. If you see these animals on the move, the name changes. A group of giraffes is called a journey when they are walking. It’s poetic, honestly. Watching a journey of giraffes is like watching a slow-motion film where every limb moves with a strange, liquid grace.
Why two names? It boils down to old hunting and natural history traditions. Back in the day, naturalists loved categorizing everything. If they were stationary, they were a tower. If they were traveling from one watering hole to another, they were a journey. Simple. But what’s actually happening inside that group is way more complex than just a fancy name.
For a long time, we thought giraffes were socially aloof. Scientists basically figured they were just tall, beautiful idiots who hung out together by accident because they happened to be eating the same tree. We were wrong. Recent research, particularly studies published in Mammal Review, suggests that giraffe society is actually quite sophisticated, bordering on the complexity we see in elephants or chimpanzees.
👉 See also: Why People That Died on Their Birthday Are More Common Than You Think
The "Grandmother Effect" and Giraffe Friendships
Forget the idea of a "herd" as a mindless blob of animals. Giraffes live in what biologists call a fission-fusion society. This means the group size changes constantly. One day a tower might have twenty members; the next, it’s three. It’s like a coffee shop. People come, people go, but there’s a core social fabric holding it all together.
Ethologist Zoe Muller has done some incredible work on this. Her research points toward the "Grandmother Hypothesis." In many giraffe groups, post-reproductive females—grandmas—play a massive role in raising the young. They aren't just taking up space; they are repositories of knowledge. They know where the water is during a drought. They know which lions are actually a threat and which ones are just being lazy in the shade.
Female giraffes also form long-term friendships. They have "besties." Research shows that certain females will seek each other out and stay together for years. They aren't just together for protection; they actually prefer each other’s company.
What Happens Inside the Tower?
It isn't all peace and leaves.
When you see a tower of giraffes, there’s often a subtle (and sometimes violent) power struggle happening. Male giraffes, or bulls, engage in "necking." It sounds romantic. It’s not. They swing their heavy, ossicone-topped heads like medieval maces, slamming them into each other's ribs and necks. You can hear the thud from hundreds of yards away.
✨ Don't miss: Marie Kondo The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: What Most People Get Wrong
The winner gets the girls. The loser gets a bruise and a bruised ego.
Why the names stuck
- Visual Impact: A tower perfectly describes the verticality.
- Behavioral Cues: A journey recognizes their nomadic nature.
- Tradition: These terms date back centuries to "terms of venery."
The sheer scale of a tower is hard to grasp until you're near one. A full-grown male can be 19 feet tall. His heart is two feet long and weighs about 25 pounds. It has to be that big just to pump blood up that massive neck against the force of gravity. When a tower of these giants stands together, they aren't just a group; they are a literal wall of biological engineering.
Common Misconceptions About Giraffe Groups
People think giraffes are silent. They aren't. While you won't hear them "moo" often, researchers at the University of Vienna recorded over 900 hours of audio and found that giraffes hum. They hum at night. It’s a low-frequency sound, almost like a drone, that might be a way for the tower to stay in contact when it’s too dark to see.
Another myth? That they don't sleep. They do, but only in tiny bursts. A giraffe might only sleep for 30 minutes a day, often standing up. If you see a member of the tower with its neck tucked back against its rump, it’s probably power-napping. One or two others will usually stay "on watch."
The Conservation Reality
It’s not all fun collective nouns. We are currently facing what some call a "silent extinction." Giraffe populations have plummeted by nearly 30% over the last few decades. Habitat loss and poaching are the main culprits. When we talk about a tower of giraffes, we have to acknowledge that these towers are shrinking.
🔗 Read more: Why Transparent Plus Size Models Are Changing How We Actually Shop
There are four distinct species of giraffe—Northern, Southern, Reticulated, and Masai—though for years we thought there was only one. This distinction is vital for conservation. You can't just move a Southern giraffe into a Northern habitat and expect the tower to thrive. They have different social structures and environmental needs.
How to Spot a "Tower" Like a Pro
If you’re ever on safari or even at a high-quality zoo like San Diego or Singapore, don't just look at the spots. Look at the spacing.
Check the "nursery groups." Sometimes you’ll see a tower that is mostly calves with one or two adult females. This is a "crèche." The moms take turns babysitting so the others can go off and eat enough calories to produce milk. It’s a high-stress job. A baby giraffe is a prime snack for a lion or a hyena, so the "tower" becomes a defensive perimeter.
Next time someone asks you what a group of giraffes is called, you can give them the "tower" answer. But then tell them about the humming. Tell them about the grandmothers. Tell them that they are one of the most socially complex animals on the planet, hiding in plain sight behind a very long neck.
Actionable Insights for Wildlife Enthusiasts
To truly appreciate these creatures and contribute to their survival, consider these steps:
- Support the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF): They are the only NGO in the world that concentrates solely on the conservation and management of giraffes in the wild throughout Africa.
- Look for "Giraffe Friendly" products: Support sustainable wood and charcoal industries that don't rely on destroying the acacia forests giraffes call home.
- Visit Accredited Zoos: If you can't get to Africa, visit AZA-accredited institutions. Their "tower" management programs help maintain genetic diversity through the Species Survival Plan (SSP).
- Citizen Science: Use apps like iNaturalist to log sightings if you are traveling in giraffe-inhabited regions. Every data point helps researchers track population movements.
Understanding the social nuances of the tower is the first step in realizing why losing them would be such a catastrophic blow to the world's biodiversity. They aren't just scenery; they are a vital, humming, social part of the African ecosystem.