Giraffes are one of the most amazing animals in the world. These mammals are distributed in Africa and stand out for their enormous size, made up of an elongated neck and extensive legs.
There are different kinds of giraffes, although at first glance they look very similar. Do you know how to recognize them? Discover their characteristics and other curiosities about them in the following article on our site. Keep reading!
Giraffe Characteristics
In addition to their elongation, there are several distinctive features of giraffes. Let's look at some examples:
- Origin: its origin is traced between 600,000 and 800,000 years ago, when the current species outlived other existing varieties.
- Habitat: Giraffes are distributed on the African continent, where they can be found in savannah, desert and grassland areas.
- Physical: it is the tallest animal in the world and its length varies according to the subspecies.
- Food: It has herbivorous habits and lives in herds. It feeds on the leaves that it pulls from the tops of the trees, which it can access thanks to its long neck.
- Life expectancy: in freedom, lives an average of 10 years.
- Activity: it is among the animals that sleep the least, since they dedicate only two hours to this activity, which they distribute throughout the day in short naps. Here we explain more about how giraffes sleep?
In the update, the IUCN classifies it as a vulnerable species, since multiple factors affect its conservation: illegal hunting, extension of the human activity and armed conflicts taking place in Africa.
Types of giraffes
Over the years, there has been much debate about how many species of giraffe there are. Today, 4 species of giraffe are considered to exist:
- Giraffa camelopardalis or northern giraffe.
- Giraffa giraffa or southern giraffe.
- Giraffa reticulata or reticulated giraffe.
- Giraffa tippelskirchi or Masai giraffe.
Hence, we find the following 4 subspecies of giraffes camelopardalis:
- Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis.
- Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum.
- Giraffa camelopardalis per alta.
- Giraffa camelopardalis hybrid subspecies.
There are also 2 subspecies of giraffe giraffa:
- Giraffa giraffa giraffa.
- Giraffa giraffa angolensis.
In this way, we could say that there are a total of 8 types of giraffes:
- Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis.
- Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum.
- Giraffa camelopardalis per alta.
- Giraffa camelopardalis hybrid subspecies.
- Giraffa reticulata.
- Giraffa tippelskirchi.
- Giraffa giraffa giraffa.
- Giraffa giraffa angolensis.
However, until now two other subspecies of giraffes were also mentioned, the giraffe rothschildi and the giraffe thornicrofti. Next, we will talk about each of them.
Types of giraffe camelopardalis
As we explained, within the camelopardalis giraffes, we find 3 subspecies:
Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis
The Nigerian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) is Critically Endangered, as the IUCN estimates that they survive only455 adults About 95% of its population has declined over the last three decades, so it is currently only found in small areas of Ethiopia and southern Sudan.
It is very similar to other giraffe species, but there is a foolproof way to tell it apart: compared to other giraffes, its spots are more reddish.
Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum
Another type of giraffe is the Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum, also called the Kordofan giraffe. It is distributed in central Africa, in countries such as Cameroon and Chad. There are only 1,400 adult specimens of this variety, which is why it is considered critically endangered
As for the other giraffes, the Kordofan giraffe in one of the smallest. The rest of its appearance is very similar to the Angolan giraffe, with large spots on its fur.
You may also be interested in this other article on our site about Curiosities about giraffes.
Giraffa camelopardalis per alta
Some authors suggest that the West African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis per alta) and the Nigerian giraffe are the same subspecies, but the IUCN still lists them as distinct varieties. Currently, Western is found only in Nigeria, having become extinct from its former settlements, such as Burkina Faso and Mali.
Their number is reduced to 425 individuals, despite the fact that programs have been implemented to protect it. The erosion of its habitat has displaced it from its original areas, but human activity in those places (exploitation of natural resources, civil conflicts, among others) has reduced its population.
Faced with this alarming number of Giraffa camelopardalis per alta specimens, you may be wondering why the giraffe is in danger of extinction? On our site, we tell you about it.
Giraffa camelopardalis hybrid subspecies
The hybrid subspecies is little known and is the product of crosses between other giraffe species. Its characteristics vary according to the parents and In general, it is difficult to distinguish between these and other subspecies with better defined characteristics, since the coat pattern of all species and subspecies of giraffes is very varied.
The hybrid variety usually occurs between northern and southern giraffes; however, there is also evidence of interbreeding in the wild between subspecies of reticulated and Masai giraffes.
Types of giraffe giraffa
As we mentioned at the beginning, we currently find 2 subspecies of giraffe giraffa.
Giraffa giraffa giraffa
Distributed in Angola, Mozambique, northern South Africa and other parts of the continent. Their population has increased by nearly 150% over the past 30 years, although most reintroduced individuals have conceived hybrid offspring.
This giraffe's spots are brown with lighter edges. Near the ankle, the spots turn into small dots.
Giraffa giraffa angolensis
The Angolan giraffe (Giraffa giraffa angolensis) is distributed between Angola (where it was reintroduced), Botswana and Namibia. It is estimated that there are 10,323 adult specimens today, although the population has been increasing for the last 30 years.
This subspecies is also called smoked giraffe, a characteristic that distinguishes it from others: the characteristic light yellow fur is crossed by large brown spots, with shapes similar to those of leaves. This giraffe gathers in small groups, of a maximum of 5 individuals, although they also live alone.
Types of Giraffa reticulata
Currently, we only find one type of giraffa reticulata.
Giraffa reticulata
The Giraffa reticulata or Somali giraffe is another type of giraffe. It is currently distributed in small areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, where it inhabits grasslands and savannahs. Like the other varieties of giraffe, its population has been declining in recent decades.
This variety is easy to differentiate: the spots on its body are broader than those present in other subspecies; in addition, they have a reddish brown.
Discover also How long is the neck of a giraffe? with our site.
Types of Giraffa tippelskirchi
Within the tippelskirchi giraffes, we only find one variety.
Giraffa tippelskirchi
Another type of giraffe is the Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi or Kilimanjaro giraffe, also called Masai giraffe It is distributed in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, where 35,000 specimens currently exist. This subspecies is considered endangered by the IUCN.
The Kilimanjaro giraffe is the tallest of all varieties, reaching up to 6 meters. Compared to other subspecies, this one has bright yellow fur, with irregularly shaped spots.
Other types of giraffe
We also found two more types of giraffe, which were until now recognized as official species.
Rothschild's Giraffe
The Rothschild's giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) is distributed in Kenya and Uganda. Since 1962 its population has remained just over 1,000 individuals, as agriculture has displaced the subspecies to ever smaller areas.
The IUCN considers this type of giraffe to be of least concern in terms of conservation, although some specimens are victims of hunting, either to consume their meat or make ornaments with their bodies.
The coat of the Rothschild giraffe is very characteristic: the yellow background is darker than in other varieties; in addition, the spots present a degradation from dark brown to reddish in each one.
Rhodesian Giraffe
The Rhodesian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti) survives only in one area of Zambia, where there are 420 individuals. From the moment of its discovery and description, at the beginning of the 20th century, its population was already small.
In this area, the Rhodesian giraffe feeds on more than 93 plant species. The spots of this subspecies are distinguished by their irregular edges, slightly jagged, a characteristic that differentiates it from others.
