The Angolan giraffe (''Giraffa angolensis'' or ''Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis'' or ''Giraffa giraffa angolensis''), also known as the Namibian giraffe or smokey giraffe, 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 ...

that is found in northern

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 ...

, south-western

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

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 ...

, western

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 ...

and since mid-2023 again in Angola.For the first time in decades, Angolan giraffes now populate a park in Angola
Megan Lim,

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, 2023-07-11

Taxonomy

A 2009 genetic study on this subspecies suggests the northern

Namib Desert The Namib ( ; ) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba Ri ...

and

Etosha National Park Etosha National Park is a national park in northwestern Namibia and one of the largest national parks in Africa. It was proclaimed a game reserve in March 1907 in Ordinance 88 by the Governor of German South West Africa, Friedrich von Lindequist. ...

populations each form a separate subspecies. However, genetic studies based on mitochondrial DNA do not support the division into two subspecies., but could identify giraffes in southern

as the Angolan giraffe, suggesting a further eastward distribution than expected.

Description

This subspecies has large brown blotches with edges that are either somewhat notched or have angular extensions. The spotting pattern extends throughout the legs but not the upper part of the face. The neck and rump patches tend to be fairly small. The subspecies also has a white ear patch.

Habitat

Home range size of Angolan giraffes was found to be larger in unproductive areas such as the

and much smaller in more productive areas such as Lake Manyara National Park. However, that home range size could be affected by abiotic(e.g climate), biotic(e.g forage availability, predator densities) and human influence(e.g population growth).

Seasonal movement

As far as seasonal movements of giraffes were concerned, they were not as distinctive as those in other giraffe populations around the world. Male giraffe moves longer than female giraffe and also it has longer average daily movement (5.64km compared to 1.87km in 180 days during hot-dry season).

Foraged activity

Angolan Giraffe tends to forage into the mountain during the cold-dry and early hot-dry season. It mainly eats

Commiphora ''Commiphora'' is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of A ...

for living.

Conservation

Approximately 13,000 animals are estimated to remain in the wild; and about 20 are kept in zoos. Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis (courting).jpg, Courting

Angolan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis) male head composite.jpg, Male

Angolan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis) female head.jpg, Female

Angolan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis) female with young 2 months.jpg, Female with young 2 months

Chobe National Park Chobe National Park is Botswana's first national park, and also the most Biodiversity, biologically diverse. Located in the north of the country, it is Botswana's third largest park, after Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Gemsbok National Park. ...

References

External links

* * Angolan giraffe Mammals of Southern Africa Mammals of Angola Mammals of Namibia Mammals of Zambia Mammals of Botswana Mammals of Zimbabwe Angolan giraffe {{eventoedungulate-stub