US EditionScientists Reclassify Giraffes Into Four Distinct Species in Africa
New genetic and anatomical research led the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify giraffes into four species, each with unique conservation needs.
- Researchers have reclassified giraffes into four distinct species in Africa based on new genetic and anatomical data.
- The four species are Northern giraffes, reticulated giraffes, Masai giraffes, and Southern giraffes, each facing different threats and conservation needs.
- The Northern giraffe is the most endangered with only about 7,000 individuals left in the wild, while the Southern giraffe is the most populous at around 69,000.
56 Articles
56 Articles
Scientists Split Giraffes Into Four Species. Three Are in Trouble.
For more than 260 years, scientists have consider giraffes a single species. Giraffa camelopardalis, as it was long known, existed across thousands of miles of African grasslands and woodlands. But scientists now see giraffes differently. One species is officially four, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced on Thursday. Conservation biologists will now evaluate the status of each; preliminary data suggest three of the spec…
Dnevni list Danas
nin.rsIt was always believed that there was one species of giraffe, but scientists now say there are four.
Giraffes are impressive. With their very long necks they belong to the highest animals living on land. Their gentle nature enchants many observers. Since each species needs special protection, recognition is fundamental.
Giraffes, the tallest land animals on Earth, were long thought to be a single species, but scientists have now decided to divide the animal into four species, with three further subspecies.
So far the giraffes have been classified as a single species but experts conclude that there are differences that justify classification as different species "with different evolutionary stories".
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