A male giraffe can reach about 18 feet (5.5 m) tall; a female can reach about 14 feet (4.3 m), according to the San Diego Zoo. Giraffes are the tallest land animals.
A giraffe's legs are about 6 feet (1.8 m) long. Height is measured from the ground to the top of the head; leg length is a separate measurement.
| Reference | Height in feet | Approximate height in meters |
|---|---|---|
| Female giraffe, up to | 14 ft | 4.3 m |
| Male giraffe, up to | 18 ft | 5.5 m |
These are upper height references from the San Diego Zoo, not a claim that every adult reaches the maximum. Giraffe height depends on sex, age and the individual animal.
For the height conversions, 1 foot = 0.3048 meters. The source's rounded metric figures are kept in the table.
Picture a hypothetical 6-foot-tall person beside a giraffe:
18 ft | Male giraffe, upper reference
14 ft | Female giraffe, upper reference
6 ft | Hypothetical person
0 ft +-------------------------------- Ground
Height comparison only, not a scale drawing.
A giraffe's head and neck add substantially to its height. The comparison uses maximum height references and one chosen person height; it does not describe average giraffes or average people.
A giraffe's legs are about 6 feet (1.8 m) long, and its neck is also about 6 feet (1.8 m) long, according to the San Diego Zoo.
These measurements describe different parts of the animal. They are not the same as its full standing height, and should not be added together to calculate total height. The body and head also contribute to the animal's overall height.
The San Diego Zoo lists these upper weight references:
| Giraffe | Weight reference |
|---|---|
| Female | Up to 1,500 lb (680 kg) |
| Male | Up to 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) |
These are upper figures, not the weight of every giraffe. Sex, age and individual size matter. A giraffe's weight is a different measurement from its height or body length.
The San Diego Zoo lists females up to 14 feet and males up to 18 feet tall. These are upper references; adult height varies.
A male giraffe can reach about 18 feet, or 5.5 meters, according to the San Diego Zoo.
A female giraffe can reach about 14 feet, or 4.3 meters.
They are about 6 feet (1.8 m) long. That is the length of the legs, not the giraffe's overall height.
Using a hypothetical 6-foot person, a female giraffe at 14 feet is about 2⅓ times as tall, and a male at 18 feet is three times as tall.
This guide focuses on height and leg length. The cited zoo reference gives those measurements but does not provide one total nose-to-tail length, so the page does not infer one.
San Diego Zoo: Giraffe gives sex-specific upper heights and weights, and reports leg and neck lengths of about 6 feet each.
Metric values follow the source's rounded figures. The person comparison uses a hypothetical 6-foot height and maximum giraffe references; the text diagram is conceptual, not to scale.