Giraffes look like animals that should make big, dramatic sounds. They are tall, powerful, and easy to spot from a distance. Yet anyone who has watched giraffes for a while knows they are surprisingly quiet.
That silence can make people wonder if giraffes make noise at all.
The answer is yes. Giraffes do make noise, but they do not vocalize as often or as loudly as many other mammals. Their sounds are usually soft, low, short, or used in specific situations. They also rely heavily on body language, vision, scent, and social awareness to stay connected.
Let’s discuss the sounds giraffes make in detail!
Key Takeaways
- Giraffes do make noise, but they vocalize quietly and infrequently.
- Known giraffe sounds include snorts, grunts, hisses, cough-like sounds, bursts, bleats, and low nighttime hums.
- Baby giraffes are often more vocal than adults, especially when calling for their mothers.
- Researchers have recorded giraffes humming at night, but the exact purpose of the hum is still being studied.
- Giraffes also use posture, neck movement, scent, visual contact, and social spacing to communicate.
- You can help save giraffes by donating, raising awareness, supporting eco-tourism, and advocating for stronger protections.
Do Giraffes Make Noise?
Yes, giraffes make noise. They have vocal cords, which help them produce sounds.
They are often described as quiet animals because they do not roar, bark, trumpet, or call loudly across the landscape like some other large mammals.
The confusion usually comes from how rarely they use their voice. Giraffes spend much of their time feeding, walking, watching their surroundings, and staying close enough to other giraffes without making obvious calls.
What Sounds Do Giraffes Make?
Giraffes can make several types of sounds, although not all of them are heard often.
Researchers and observers have described giraffe sounds such as the following:
- Snorts
- Grunts
- Hisses
- Bursts
- Cough-like sounds
- Bleats
- Mooing or mewing sounds from calves
- Low humming sounds at night
Some of these sounds are short and sudden. A snort or hiss may happen when a giraffe is alert, irritated, or reacting to something nearby. Calves may make higher-pitched sounds when they are hungry, stressed, or looking for their mothers.
The more unusual sound is the nighttime hum. In a 2015 study published in BMC Research Notes, researchers recorded giraffes at three European zoos and found low, sustained humming vocalizations during the night. The study analyzed more than 947 hours of audio and recorded 65 humming sounds.
Why Are Giraffes So Quiet?
Giraffes are quiet partly because their survival does not depend on loud calls.
Their height gives them a strong view of the surrounding landscape. They can often see other giraffes, predators, and movement across long distances. Because of this, they may not need to call loudly as often as animals that depend more on sound to stay connected.
Quiet behavior can also be useful for a prey animal. Loud calls can attract attention, including attention from predators. Giraffes often rely on stillness, distance, vision, and group awareness instead of noise.
Their communication is also subtle. A giraffe may shift its posture, move its ears, raise or lower its head, change its neck position, or adjust its distance from another giraffe. These signals may be easy for other giraffes to notice, even if humans overlook them.
A review published in the Journal of Zoology found that giraffe communication is still poorly understood. Researchers reviewed studies on visual, auditory, and olfactory communication and found that much of what is known comes from limited or opportunistic observations.
Do Giraffes Use Infrasound?
Current research does not confirm that giraffes use infrasound to communicate.
This is an important point because older claims sometimes compare giraffes to elephants and suggest that giraffes may use infrasonic sounds. Infrasound refers to sound below the range of normal human hearing, usually below 20 Hz.
The 2015 BMC Research Notes study specifically looked for low or infrasonic vocalizations. The researchers found humming sounds, but they reported that none of the recorded vocalizations were within the infrasonic range.
Do Baby Giraffes Make Noise?
Yes, baby giraffes can make noise.
Calves are often more vocal than adult giraffes. They may bleat, moo, or make soft calls when they are separated, hungry, stressed, or trying to reach their mothers. These sounds can help a calf get attention, especially when it is young and more vulnerable.
Baby giraffes also depend on social care, just like us. Young giraffes may gather in nursery-like groups called crèches, where one mother or another adult female stays with the calves while other females move away to feed.
Do Giraffes Communicate Without Sound?
Yes. Giraffes communicate in more ways than sound.
They use visual signals, scent, posture, and movement. A giraffe’s height, eyesight, and social awareness all help it stay connected to others without constant vocal calls.
Body language matters. A giraffe’s head position, neck movement, ear movement, and stance can give information to other giraffes. Males also use necking, a behavior where they swing their necks and heads during dominance contests.
Scent also plays a role, especially in mating behavior. Male giraffes may test a female’s urine to detect reproductive status. This is one reason communication in giraffes cannot be reduced to sound alone.
Help Protect Giraffes in the Wild!
Giraffes may be quiet, but their need for protection is urgent.
Across Africa, giraffes face habitat loss, poaching, snaring, drought, and human-wildlife conflict. Many of these threats can disrupt the social groups and natural landscapes that giraffes rely on.
Save Giraffes Now works with partners across Africa to protect giraffes through rescue, rewilding, anti-poaching support, emergency response, veterinary care, and community conservation.
You can help protect giraffes and the wild spaces they call home. Donate now to help these gentle giants!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are giraffes silent?
No. Giraffes are quiet, but they are not silent. They can make snorts, grunts, hisses, bleats, cough-like sounds, and low nighttime hums.
Do giraffes hum?
Yes. Researchers have recorded giraffes producing low humming sounds at night. Scientists think these hums may help giraffes stay connected when visibility is low, but the exact purpose is still being studied.
Do giraffes make sounds humans can hear?
Yes, some giraffe sounds can be heard by humans. Snorts, grunts, hisses, and calf calls may be audible. Nighttime hums are low and easy to miss.