Giraffe Puts a Stop to a Young Rhino’s Antics With One Powerful Kick

Modern zoos house multiple species together in enclosures to recreate an animal’s experience in the wild. In Africa, giraffes and rhinos often meet up at watering holes and on the savanna where herbivores find safety from predators in large groups. Both animals are peaceful plant eaters and generally get along well. However, we found a captivating video of a rhino and a giraffe in a zoo, where the giraffe had enough of a playful young rhino’s mischievous behavior, and gave him a swift kick in the head.

A Giraffe Loses Patience With a Young Rhino

In the video posted by Polish Dr Dolittle on YouTube, we get to see a fascinating encounter between a giraffe and a rhino in a zoo enclosure. The young rhino, likely a juvenile, looks like a playful puppy as it bounces around a towering giraffe that is attempting to mind its own business. The giraffe tries ignoring the little rhino, but the rhino persists. The giraffe then gives a warning kick without making contact. But this still isn’t enough for the playful juvenile, as it continues bouncing around the giraffe’s tall legs. Finally, the giraffe raises its back leg and smacks the rhino directly in its head with a loud smack.

This did the trick. The rhino runs away as fast as its short legs will take it.

How Do Giraffes Defend Themselves?

In the wild, giraffes are such large animals that they only have to fear being preyed upon by lions and crocodiles. Giraffes find safety living in herds made up of a dominant male leader and a group of females and their offspring. Giraffes can rest even when standing, but they do sometimes lie down to sleep. However, when the herd takes a rest, at least one member will stay standing to keep an eye out for predators.

If a giraffe is attacked, it can flee, running at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. However, if it finds itself cornered, the giraffe can use its long and powerful legs to deliver a karate-style kick. Giraffes’ kicks are incredibly powerful and have been measured at 2,000 pounds of force per square inch (PSI). That is strong enough to kill a lion with one blow if the giraffe hits it in the right spot. A giraffe’s kick is even stronger than a powerful kangaroo’s kick at 759 PSI.

However, in the video, the young rhino was not a true threat to the giraffe. Luckily for the youngster, the giraffe did not unleash its full potential in its kick. Instead, it was trying to brush away a nuisance. Although the loud sound of impact into the rhino’s head shows that even when giraffes don’t kick at full force, they are very powerful.

Who Would Win in a Fight Between a Giraffe and a Rhino?

Unlike the playful encounter in the video, if we imagine a full-grown giraffe encountering a full-grown rhino and the two decide to fight, what would happen? We have to rely on speculation for this, as a rhino and giraffe fight in the wild is extremely rare or nonexistent.

Giraffes Have the Height

Giraffes have the upper hand when it comes to height. Standing at 16 to 18 feet, they tower over rhinos. On average, white rhinos stand a little over five feet. They may be shorter, but rhinos weigh more than giraffes. Giraffes can weigh up to 4,200 pounds, while male rhinos may grow larger than 7,000 pounds.

Giraffe Kick Vs. Horns

Giraffes have powerful kicks to defend themselves, while rhinos defend themselves by head-butting with powerful and sharp horns. Rhinos are in danger from poachers who sell their horns on the black market, claiming they have medicinal properties. However, rhino horns have no magical properties but are made of keratin, the same thing as our fingernails and hair. Rhinos will rub their horns on hard surfaces, which keeps them sharp.

Giraffe Vs. Rhino Speed

Giraffes are fast runners, reaching up to 35 miles per hour. Despite their stubby appearance, rhinos can run fast, too. Rhinos are nearly as fast as giraffes, reaching 31 miles per hour in a sprint.

Giraffe Vs. Rhino: It’s a Toss-Up

Male rhinos fight each other for dominance using their horns to head butt. Male giraffes also fight each other for dominance over their herds. Giraffes will headbutt and use their long, muscular necks to overpower each other. But these are fights among males of the same species for dominance, territory, and mating rights. In the wild, giraffes and rhinos have no reason to fight each other. If they did get in a fight, between the giraffe’s strong kicks and the rhino’s sharp horn, both would likely get injured, with no clear winner.