The South African giraffe or Cape giraffe (''Giraffa giraffa'' or ''Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

found in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. It has rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the

hooves The hoof (: 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; the ruminants with ...

. In 2016, the population was estimated at 31,500 individuals in the wild.

Taxonomy and evolution

The IUCN currently recognizes only one species of giraffe with nine subspecies. The Cape giraffe, along with the whole species, were first known by the

binomen In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

''Camelopardalis giraffa'' as described by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber (17 January 1739 – 10 December 1810), often styled J.C.D. von Schreber, was a German Natural history, naturalist. Career Schreber was appointed professor of'' materia medica'' at the University of Erlangen- ...

in his publication ''Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen'' (''The Mammals Illustrated from Nature with Descriptions'') during his travel in the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

in 1784. Dutch naturalist

Pieter Boddaert Pieter Boddaert (1730 – 6 May 1795) was a Dutch physician and naturalist. Early life, family and education Boddaert was the son of a Middelburg jurist and poet by the same name (1694–1760). The younger Pieter obtained his M.D. at the Univers ...

also described it under the binomial name ''Giraffa giraffa'' whilst also identifying the nominate specimen of said species under the

ternary name In biology, trinomial nomenclature is the system of names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany. In zoology In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ...

''Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa'' in 1785.von Schreber, A. (1784)
(''Camelopardalis giraffa'').
Southern African mammals 1758 to 1951 : a reclassification (1953): 151. Following Schreber's description of the South African giraffe, several specimens were described by other naturalists and zoologists since the end of the 18th century under different scientific names, which are all considered synonyms of ''Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa'' today: *''G. giraffa capensis'' by Lesson, 1842 *''G. giraffa australis'' by Rhoads, 1896 *''G. giraffa wardi'' by Lydekker, 1904 *''G. giraffa infumata'' by Noack, 1808

Descriptions

The South African 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 males is less developed.Seymour, R. (2002) The taxonomic status of the giraffe, ''Giraffa camelopardalis'' (L. 1758), PhD Thesis

Distribution and habitat

The South African giraffe is found in northern

, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, and south-western

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

. They are common in both in and outside of protected areas. South African giraffes usually live in savannahs and woodlands where food plants are available. Giraffes are

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...

. They feed on leaves, flowers, fruits and shoots of woody plants such as ''Acacia''. South African giraffes live in a fission–fusion society system based on factors such as sex, age, season, and kinship. This allows them to adapt to environmental changes.

Threats

At present, the South African giraffe population is estimated at 37,000 individuals, showing an increase of over 150% over the past three decades. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the body that administers the world's official endangered species list, announced in 2016 that it was moving the giraffe from a species of Least Concern to Vulnerable status in its Red List of Threatened Species report. That means the animal faces extinction in the wild in the medium-term future if nothing is done to minimize the threats to its life or habitat.

In captivity

South African giraffes are uncommon in captivity. As of 2010, there are around 45 South African giraffes breeding in zoos. Approximately 12,000 privately owned farms, ranches, and national parks maintain populations of this giraffe.

Gallery

File:South African Giraffes, fighting.jpg, Three bulls, two of them fighting;

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...

File:Kameelperdkoei, Groenkloof Natuurreservaat.jpg, Cow giraffe in Groenkloof Nature Reserve File:Baby giraffe, Kruger National Park, South Africa (28920218450).jpg, Calf in the Kruger N. P.,

File:Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa Jerusalem Biblical Zoo055.jpg, Group of South African giraffe at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

References

External links

* * Giraffes Mammals described in 1784 Mammals of South Africa Mammals of Botswana Mammals of Zimbabwe Mammals of Mozambique {{eventoedungulate-stub