8 Bits Of Science You Didn’t Know Ruin Iconic Video Game Scenes

8. Giraffes Don’t Like The Cold – The Last Of Us

Precious few games have the ability to tug on the heartstrings quite like The Last of Us. From its devastating open sequence depicting a daughter dying in her father’s arms, to the peace, hope and beauty of protagonists Joel and Ellie’s encounter with a herd of Giraffe, it is a masterpiece of storytelling.

Except, as moving and iconic as the scene is, meeting a herd of Giraffe in that part of North America is a smidge problematic.

Now, finding an animal native to Africa in North America isn’t an issue, as it’s perfectly plausible that the herd could have escaped from a zoo.

No, instead the issue lies in the location – Salt Lake City. For three months of the year the city’s minimum temperature regularly drops below freezing, down to as low as -6°C (21.2°F). For Giraffe that’s deadly cold, the species being, as per this guideline, highly susceptible to temperatures below 10 °C (50°F) and requiring special care to stave off hypothermia. And while desert adapted Giraffe do exist, such as those found in Namibia, even they rarely deal with temperatures below freezing.

Sadly, as beautiful as Giraffe are and as much as they add to the scene, that herd shouldn’t be there. However, America boats another animal, equally as beautiful, and which can also stand the cold, the good old all-American Bison.