This male reticulated Giraffe is looking over the barrier at the females when this photo was taken at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado. Giraffes and humans have the same number of vertebrae in their necks - seven. Giraffes' vertebrae are just much larger. When a giraffe raises its head, it is lifting about 500 pounds, the combined weight of the head and neck of an average male giraffe.