A giraffe's diet consists mainly of leaves, shoots, and buds from trees and shrubs. On average, a giraffe can consume up to 75 pounds (34 kilograms) of food per day, spending up to 16 hours browsing.
Giraffes have long, prehensile tongues up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) that reach high branches. Their tongues are covered in papillae to grip foliage. Like cows, they have four-chambered stomachs and regurgitate food to chew it again, maximizing nutrient extraction from tough plant material.
They are selective feeders and may travel long distances for the best grazing. Their long necks give them access to leaves unreachable by other animals.