The southern giraffe (''Giraffa giraffa''), also known as two-horned giraffe,Lesson, R. (1842)
The Southern or Two-horned giraffe (''Giraffa capensis'').
Existing Forms of Giraffe (February 16, 1897): 14. is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

native to

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

. However, the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

currently recognizes only one species of giraffe with nine subspecies. Southern giraffes have rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the

hooves The hoof (plural: hooves) is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, which is covered and strengthened with a thick and horny keratin covering. Artiodactyls are even-toed ungulates, species whose feet have an even number of digits, yet the rumi ...

. They range from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. Their approximate population is composed of 44,500 individuals. Giraffes as one species are considered Vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN.

Taxonomy and evolution

Living giraffes were originally classified as one species by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1758, under the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

Cervus ''Cervus'' is a genus of deer that primarily are native to Eurasia, although one species occurs in northern Africa and another in North America. In addition to the species presently placed in this genus, it has included a whole range of othe ...

camelopardalis''.

Morten Thrane Brünnich Morten Thrane Brünnich (30 September 1737 – 19 September 1827) was a Danish zoologist and mineralogist. Biography Brünnich was born in Copenhagen, the son of a portrait painter. He studied oriental languages and theology, but soon became ...

classified the genus ''Giraffa'' in 1772. Once considered a subspecies of the conglomerate ''

Giraffa camelopardalis The northern giraffe (''Giraffa camelopardalis''), also known as three-horned giraffe,Linnaeus, C. (1758)The Nubian or Three-horned giraffe (''Giraffa camelopardalis'').Existing Forms of Giraffe (February 16, 1897): 14. is the type species of gi ...

'' species, recent studies proposed the southern giraffe as a separate species of a reorganised genus ''

Giraffa The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

'', under the binomial name ''Giraffa giraffa''. However, the taxonomic scheme has been criticized, and currently the IUCN recognizes only one species of giraffe with nine subspecies.

Subspecies

Two subspecies of southern giraffe are proposed.

Descriptions

The Cape subspecies of the southern giraffe has dark, somewhat rounded patches "with some fine projections" on a tawny background colour. The spots extend down the legs and get smaller. The median lump of bulls is less developed.Seymour, R. (2002) The taxonomic status of the giraffe, ''Giraffa camelopardalis'' (L. 1758), PH.D Thesis

Distribution and habitat

The southern giraffes live in the savannahs and woodlands of northern South Africa, Angola, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, Zambia and south-western

. After local extinctions in various places, the South African giraffes have been reintroduced in many parts of Southern Africa, including in

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

. They are common in both inside and outside of protected areas.

Ecology and behavior

Southern giraffes usually live in savannahs and woodlands where food plants are available. Southern giraffes are herbivorous mammals. They feed on leaves, flowers, fruits and shoots of woody plants such as ''Acacia''.

Threats

Southern giraffes are not threatened, as their population is increasing.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:giraffe, southern southern giraffe Mammals of Southern Africa Extant Miocene first appearances southern giraffe Taxa named by Mathurin Jacques Brisson Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN