Tallest of all mammals, the giraffe attains a height of 5.5 m (18 ft) or more; with a comparatively short body and very long legs and neck. Many subspecies of this cud-chewing hoofed mammal (species Giraffa camelopardalis, family Giraffidae, order Artiodactyla) have been described, based on coat pattern and the size and number of horns. The back slopes downward to the hindquarters, and the neck, despite its length, contains only the seven vertebrae typical of most mammals. The tail is tufted, and there is a short mane on the neck. Two to four short, skin-covered horns are present in both sexes; there is a central swelling, between the eyes, which in northern giraffes is almost as long as the horns. The coat is pale buff, covered to a greater or lesser extent with reddish brown spots that range from regular and geometric in some forms to irregular and blotchy, or leaf-shaped, in others.
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