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In the savannah region south of the Sahara in Africa, the giraffe feeds primarily on acacia leaves. Giraffes can eat up to 77 pounds (35 kilograms) of food every day. They do not eat meat, but prefer the leaves and tender shoots of trees and shrubs. Their favorite meal, the leaves and twigs of the thorny acacia tree, have all the nutrients a growing giraffe needs, except for calcium and salt. The leaves also contain a lot of water, making water holes much less of a necessity. With that kind of motivation, it's no wonder they like the acacia so much! There are nine recognized subspecies of giraffe. They are: the Nigerian giraffe, the Nubian giraffe, Baringo giraffe, Masai giraffe, Reticulated giraffe , Thornicroft's giraffe, Kordofan giraffe, Angolan giraffe, and the Southern giraffe. They live in scattered geographic regions in Africa, and have differing color patterns.