Giraffe pelvis, though relatively short, has an ilium that is outspread at the upper ends. A giraffe has only two gaits: walking and galloping. Walking is done by moving the legs on one side of the body at the same time, then doing the same on the other side. When galloping, the hind legs move around the front legs before the latter move forward, and the tail will curl up. The animal relies on the forward and backward motions of its head and neck to maintain balance and the counter momentum while galloping. The giraffe can reach a sprint speed of
Masai giraffe Masai giraffe The Masai giraffe ("Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii"), also spelled Maasai giraffe, also called Kilimanjaro giraffe, is the largest subspecies of giraffe. It is native to East Africa. The Masai giraffe can be found in central and southern Kenya and in Tanzania. It has distinctive, irregular, jagged, star-like blotches which extend to the hooves. A median lump is usually present in males. The IUCN currently recognizes only one species of giraffe with nine subspecies. The Masai giraffe was described and given the binomial name "Giraffa tippelskirchi" by German zoologist Paul Matschie in 1898. The Masai giraffe was named in honor