From giraffe mania to stamp collecting virus.

"Collecting is in everyone's blood,” Daan and Janneke wrote on November 24. Although the “stamp collecting virus” has not yet reached the Van der Pas household, I am happy to believe that. After all, we are dealing with the highly contagious giraffe craze. This collecting virus has been rampant among girls of about eight for months now. They are all infecting each other. And it really isn't just about giraffe stuffed animals. Pens, posters, figurines, stickers, woodcarvings, books, creative giraffe walls—you name it, and it exists or needs to be created. So, there is a lot of collecting going on. Perhaps this is the perfect moment to draw attention to stamp collecting. And then to start a giraffe-themed collection. Everything neatly organized in a stockbook, and no more long-necked creatures scattered everywhere. Daan and Janneke wrote a article regarding the collecting of stamps of a specific subject. They wrote that completeness is not the aim here. With such a subject collection, it is about the beautiful images. And there are giraffes of all shapes and sizes. Below are a few fine examples accompanied by some giraffe facts. Tanzania and Brazil (2007) Giraffe comes from the Arabic word zirafah. That means: the longest of all. The giraffe has a short body in proportion to its long legs and neck. And you wouldn't expect it with such a long neck, but the giraffe has 7 neck vertebrae, just like humans. Tanzania 2005 There are various types of giraffes. Each species has a different pattern on its skin. A baby giraffe recognizes its mother by her spots. Sierra Leone A female has two small horns on her head. A male has an extra small horn in the middle of his head. Just like deer, the males use the horns to fight. Tufts of black hair grow on the horns. Austria A giraffe's gestation period lasts 15 months. A newborn giraffe is already 1,80 meters tall and weighs about 45 to 70 kilograms. Five minutes after birth, the giraffe can already stand, and after an hour, it is walking behind its mother. After 10 years, the giraffe is the size of an adult giraffe. Tajikistan (2002) in Tanzania Giraffes eat kilos of leaves (from the acacia tree), shrubs, and grass. They spend about 12 hours a day doing this. They hardly drink, on the other hand. Because their food contains sufficient moisture, they can go for weeks without water. Nigeria (2007) The giraffe's long neck is very useful for eating the leaves of the tall trees. But it also uses it to track lions, for example. When a giraffe flees, it can run as fast as 60 kilometers per hour. It can also swim. Kenya It is quite possible that kids infected by the giraffe craze will end up on the Stamp Blog while Googling their favorite animal. And perhaps the giraffe craze will then turn into the stamp collecting virus. That would be wonderful. The youth are the future.