Study confirms four species of giraffe
New findings reported on 5 May in the peer-reviewed publication, Current Biology, make a strong case for recognising four distinct giraffe species. This is a major step in...
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New findings reported on 5 May in the peer-reviewed publication, Current Biology, make a strong case for recognizing four distinct giraffe species. This is a major step in protecting each species, some of which are under severe threat in the wild, said the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GFC).
The researchers who authored the study point out that a consensus on the number of giraffe species was paramount incorrectly assessing their individual conservation status and afford each species adequate protection based on their level of threat on the IUCN Red List.
Until recently, giraffes were widely recognized as one single species with several subspecies. In 2016, the collaborative research of the GCF, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, and partners suggested otherwise by first introducing the concept for four distinct species of giraffe. This new taxonomy is now further supported by the most inclusive genomic level analysis of giraffe relationships, which clearly confirms that there are indeed four species of giraffe.
The latest estimates of the GCF show that there is only 117,000 giraffe remaining in the wild throughout Africa. This leaves only one giraffe for every four African elephants in the wild. Giraffe numbers have dropped by almost 30% over the last three decades as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, disease, civil war, and climate change. However, it is important to note that numbers vary greatly between the four species as does the level of threat they are facing. To put it simply: some giraffe species are in serious trouble while others are doing relatively well.
