giraffe leggings The word “giraffe� comes from the Italian word giraffa which is taken from the Arabic word zar�fa, which in turn is taken from an African language. The Romans called the giraffe camelopardalis, which literally means “camel leopard�. This name can still be found in Afrikaans (kameelperd) and in the past also in Dutch (kameelpardel). A giraffe's spots darken as a giraffe ages. The spots on the coat in males first begin to change color between the ages of seven and eight years. The discoloration of the spots takes about 2 years. When a giraffe is about ten, its spots are completely black. The spots on a female are always slightly lighter than the spots on a male. This allows scientists to estimate the age of a giraffe. It is not yet fully known how the discoloration of the spots takes place, but it is suspected that this happens because the testosterone level in a giraffe changes during puberty.