Britannica Today in History
Day 18 after signup
Are giraffes living lightning rods?
Height comes at a cost.
Why it works
- Lead with a surprising, specific fact to give readers an immediate reason to keep reading.
- Add context and supporting figures after the hook so the main claim feels grounded.
- Use a short quiz and related links to offer clear ways to continue engaging with the subject.
How it is built
- Date and topic label
- Headline fact
- Fact explanation
- True-or-false quiz
Email copy
October 14, 2026 Fact of the Day Mammals Giraffes are 30 times more likely than humans to be struck by lightning. By Bennett Kleinman If a human being and giraffe were to get caught standing next to each other in a lightning storm, odds are Zeus would target the giraffe first. Given the height of the average giraffe, it isn’t that shocking (forgive the pun) to learn these creatures are essentially the lightning rods of the animal kingdom. But what may surprise you is these long-necked beasts are a whopping 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning than the typical human. Now this isn’t to say fatal lightning strikes are common in either case, as it’s exceedingly rare — albeit more common than for humans — for a giraffe to be struck down. An analysis of lightning strikes between 1996 and 2010 found that five giraffes perished due to lightning worldwide, which equals a rate of 0.003 deaths per thousand giraffes per year. By comparison, data collected from 1989 to 2018 showed that the U.S. alone averaged 43 documented human lightning fatalities per year. More reasons giraffes are giant weirdos True or False? Giraffes have more neck vertebrae than humans do. True False Keep Exploring Mammals Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks? Mammals See a Baby Giraffe’s First Steps Reptiles How Tall Was T. Rex? Was this email forwarded to you? Sign Up Advertise Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use 325 North LaSalle Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60654 If you'd like to unsubscribe from all Animal Facts emails, click here.