Ca-mĕl'o-pard or Căm'el-o-pārd, n.

(Synop., § 150), n. [Fr. camelopard, Pr. camelopard, It. cammello-pardo, cammello-pardalo, L. Lat. camelopardus, camelopardalis, Lat. camelopardulus, camelopardalis, Gr. καμηλοπάρδαλις, from κάμηλος, a camel, and πάρδαλις, pard, leopard; so named because he has a neck and head like a camel, and is spotted like a pard.] (Zoöl.) A quadruped of the ruminant (or cud chewing) order, inhabiting the deserts of Africa, called also giraffe (Camelopardalis girafa), remarkable for its long neck, its short body having the back very much inclined downward, and short, conical horns. It is the tallest of animals, its head being often eighteen feet above the ground. It feeds on the leaves and tender branches of trees.