F<\/span>rom folktales to children\u2019s stories, few animals capture the popular imagination and are portrayed as affectionately as the giraffe. The giraffe has also intrigued biologists who study the development of its long neck and its many other distinctive features.<\/p>\n The giraffe has long legs, a famously elongated neck, a tapered head, short horns above its eyes, a short, thick mane, tall shoulders, a small hump on its back, and a long black tuft on its tail. The giraffe\u2019s coat, which provides camouflage in the dappled light of woodlands, has brownish patches against a white to cream coloured background. Coat shades and patterns differ greatly among the different subspecies of giraffes, as well as among individuals. Compared with the blotchy patches on other subspecies, spots on the Masai are jagged and highly irregular.<\/p>\n<\/div>