La giraffa ha solamente due [[Andatura (equitazione)|andature]]: il passo e il galoppo. Quando cammina solleva a ogni passo le due zampe dello stesso lato, e poi le due zampe dell'altro<ref name=estes/>. Durante il galoppo, le zampe posteriori cingono le zampe anteriori prima che queste si spostino in avanti<ref name="Prothero 2003"/>, e la coda viene raggomitolata<ref name=estes/>. In tutte queste andature, i movimenti del collo consentono di bilanciare il peso del corpo: quando le zampe sono lanciate in avanti, il collo si muove dall'indietro in avanti; quando le zampe toccano terra, il collo si sposta nuovamente all'indietro<ref name=Kingdon1988/>. La giraffa può effettuare brevi sprint a 60 km/h<ref>{{cita libro|autore=T. Garland and C. M. Janis|anno=1993|titolo=Does metatarsal/femur ratio predict maximal running speed in cursorial mammals?|url=http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Garland/GarlandJanis1993.pdf|periodico=Journal of Zoology|volume='''229''' (1)|pagine=133-51|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1993.tb02626.x}}</ref> e può mantenere una velocità di 50 km/h per alcuni chilometri<ref>{{cita libro|autore=John P. Rafferty|anno=2011|titolo=Grazers (Britannica Guide to Predators and Prey)|editore=Britannica Educational Publishing|pagina=194|isbn=1-61530-336-7}}</ref>.
ALa giraffegiraffa restsriposa bygiacendo lyingcon withil itscorpo bodysulle onzampe toptenute of its folded legs.piegate<ref name=Kingdon1988>{{Citecita booklibro|authorautore=Kingdon, J. Kingdon|yearanno=1988|titletitolo=East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa, Volume 3, Part B: Large Mammals|pagespagine=313–37313-37|publishereditore=University Of Chicago Press|isbn=0-226-43722-1}}</ref>{{rp|329}}. To lie down, the animal kneels on its front legs and then lowers the rest of its body. To get back up, it first gets on its knees and spreads its hind legs to raise its hindquarters. It then straightens its front legs. With each step, the animal swings its head.<ref name=Williams/>{{rp|31}} In captivity, the giraffe sleeps intermittently around 4.6 hours per day, mostly at night.<ref name=sleep/> It usually sleeps lying down, however, standing sleeps have been recorded, particularly in older individuals. Intermittent short "deep sleep" phases while lying are characterised by the giraffe bending its neck backwards and resting its head on the hip or thigh, a position believed to indicate [[paradoxical sleep]].<ref name=sleep>{{cite journal|last=Tobler|first=I.|last2=Schwierin|first2=B.|title=Behavioural sleep in the giraffe (''Giraffa camelopardalis'') in a zoological garden|year=1996|journal=Journal of Sleep Research|volume=5|issue=1|pages=21–32|doi=10.1046/j.1365-2869.1996.00010.x|pmid=8795798}}</ref> If the giraffe wants to bend down to drink, it either spreads its front legs or bends its knees.<ref name=estes/> Giraffes would probably not be competent swimmers as their long legs would be highly cumbersome in the water,<ref name = "swim">{{cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.jtbi.2010.04.007 | author = Henderson, D. M.; Naish, D. | year = 2010 | title = Predicting the buoyancy, equilibrium and potential swimming ability of giraffes by computational analysis | url = | journal = Journal of Theoretical Biology | volume = 265 | issue = 2| pages = 151–59 | pmid = 20385144 }}</ref> although they could possibly float.<ref name="Naish">{{cite journal| last = Naish | first = D. | author-link = Darren Naish |date= January 2011 | title = Will it Float? | periodical = [[Scientific American]] | issn = 0036-8733 | volume = 304 | issue = 1 | page = 22| url = http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=will-it-float | doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0111-22}}</ref> When swimming, the thorax would be weighed down by the front legs, making it difficult for the animal to move its neck and legs in harmony<ref name = "swim"/><ref name="Naish"/> or keep its head above the surface.<ref name = "swim"/>
