People Are Crying After Finding out Giraffes Have Nowhere to Hide During Storms

The cool thing about the planet is that there are so many different types of wildlife to observe. And while there are some more common creatures that we know a lot about thanks to the fact that they can be readily observed by people everyday — like squirrels and pigeons — most people admittedly know less about animals that they don't interact with or see all the time.

For example, many people's experiences with giraffes are limited to what they've read in books or seen while visiting the zoo.

This has left a lot of people with questions about the creatures, including what they do when bad weather pops up. In fact, a lot of people have very specific questions about the long-necked creatures, and they are dying to know what giraffes do during storms. Their unusual height and build would make it hard for them to take cover, and the ecosystems they call home aren't exactly full of places to hide when the rains hit.

Think you know how they deal with the rain? Keep reading to learn more.

If you've never wondered where giraffes go when it storms, we're willing to bet you're asking yourself that very question right now. That's because giraffes are notoriously tall — according to the Save Giraffes Now website, males can stand as tall as 18 feet, which is about the height of a two story building — which may make it hard for them to find adequate cover in the plains they call home.

According to a viral video captured in Kenya, giraffes have an unusual way of facing storms.

In a clip shared to X, a group of giraffes can be seen bravely facing the rains by standing still when a sudden downpour hit the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. The post went viral with 5.4 million views in the first two weeks after it was shared, prompting a lot of discussion about how giraffes handle the weather when it suddenly turns, which is common in the plains where they live.

Including some funny responses to the idea of the lanky animals being left to brave storms without any cover.

One TikToker named @missferg was even brought to tears by the idea that giraffes would have to stand out in the rain during a storm, since they can't exactly duck under trees thanks to their height.

Fortunately, it seems like that very height gives them an advantage when dealing with the sudden downpours that they experience in their natural habitat, which leaves them better off facing the rain where they are then trying to run for cover when no nearby cover is likely to be found.

You'd think their extreme height and lack of shelter would make giraffes especially big targets for lightning strikes during storms, but according to the BBC's Discover Wildlife, there appears to be very little info to support the idea.

In fact, over the past few decades, the publication was only able to come up with four instances of giraffes being killed by lightening, meaning that it's likely a very rare occurrence.