How big is Giraffe?
Giraffe: 5.5 m (18 ft). Measured as height — the tallest males.
Source: Wikipedia — Giraffe
Where it sits
Among the 23 animals on this page giraffe ranks 9th from the top by size. The largest in the group is blue whale at 29.9 m, which is 5.44× the size of giraffe, while the smallest, honey bee, is 13 mm.
Stand an adult of 1.7 m beside it and the ratio is 3.24×: you would need 3 people stacked head to foot to match its size.
In everyday distances
It fits inside a football pitch 19 times over — a pitch is about 105 m and giraffe is only 5.5 m.
Walking at an easy 1.4 m/s you cover 5.5 m in 3.9 seconds. A jet at 900 km/h covers it in 22 milliseconds.
Next to its neighbours in size
The nearest thing larger than it in this collection is reticulated python at 6.95 m (22.8 ft), 1.26× the size. Note the two figures are not the same measurement: for giraffe it is height, for reticulated python it is length.
The nearest thing smaller is saltwater crocodile at 5.2 m (17.1 ft), so giraffe is 1.06× as big as it. They sit in the same group.
Against fixed yardsticks
Against three fixed yardsticks — Eiffel Tower (330 m) is 60× the size of giraffe; blue whale (29.9 m) is 5.44× the size of giraffe; Earth (12,742 km) is 2,316,727× the size of giraffe.
How this figure was taken
Animal sizes vary from one individual to the next, so each figure says which individual or average it describes. Heights are taken at the shoulder or standing; lengths run nose to tail tip unless stated.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.
Read the rest — common questions
How big is the giraffe?
5.5 m (18 ft), measured as height: the tallest males.
Where does the giraffe rank among animals?
Number 9 of 23 on this site, from blue whale at 29.9 m down to honey bee at 13 mm.
What is the next size up?
Reticulated python, at 6.95 m, is 1.26× the size.
What is the next size down?
Saltwater crocodile, at 5.2 m, is 1.06× smaller.
How reliable is the figure?
It is taken from the cited Wikipedia article and states its basis (the tallest males). Values are rounded, and where individuals differ the figure is a representative one, so expect small differences from other sources.