Etymology
The species name camelopardalis (camelopard) is derived from its early Roman name, where it
was described as having characteristics of both a camel and a leopard. The English word
camelopard first appeared in the 14th century and survived in common usage well into the 19th
century. The Afrikaans language retained it. The Arabic word الزرافةziraafa or zurapha,
meaning "assemblage" (of animals), or just "tall", was used in English from the 16th century on,
often in the Italianate form giraffa.
Taxonomy and evolution
The giraffe is one of only two living species of the family Giraffidae, along with the okapi. The
family was once much more extensive, with numerous other species. The giraffids evolved from
a 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall antelope-like mammal that roamed Europe and Asia some 30–50 million
years ago.
The earliest known giraffid was Climacoceras, which still resembled deer, having large antler-
like ossicones. It first appeared in the early Miocene epoch. Later examples include the genera
Palaeotragus and Samotherium, which appeared in the early-to-mid-Miocene. They were both
tall at the shoulder, and had developed the simple, unbranched ossicones of modern giraffids, but
still had relatively short necks.
From the late Pliocene onwards, the variety of giraffids drastically declined, until only the two
surviving species remained. The modern genus Giraffa evolved during the Pliocene epoch, and
included a number of other long-necked species, such as Giraffa jumae, that do not survive
today. Alan Turner proposes, in the 2004 book Evolving Eden, that giraffe ancestors initially had
a dark coat with pale spots, and that the spots gradually became star-shaped, before eventually
forming the reticulated pattern found today. The modern species, Giraffa camelopardalis,
appeared during the Pleistocene 1 million years ago.[citation needed]
The evolution of the long necks of giraffes has been the subject of much debate. The standard
story is that they were evolved to allow the giraffes to browse vegetation that was out of the
reach of other herbivores in the vicinity, giving them a competitive advantage. However, an
alternative theory proposes that the long necks evolved as a secondary sexual characteristic,
giving males an advantage in "necking" contests (see below) to establish dominance and obtain
access to sexually receptive females. This theory notes that giraffes frequently feed from
relatively low-lying shrubs, and that the necks of males are significantly longer than those of
females. However, this theory is not universally accepted, and some of the data supporting it has
recently been challenged, lending support to the original proposal that neck length is related to
browsing habits. Although giraffes can feed as low as 0.5 m and as high as 6 m off the ground, it
appears that they are most efficient feeding at 2–4 m.
Subspecies
Different authorities recognize different numbers of subspecies, differentiated by colour and
pattern variations and range. Some of these subspecies may prove to in fact be separate species.
The subspecies recognized by various authorities include:
• Reticulated Giraffe or Somali Giraffe (G. c. reticulata) – large, polygonal liver-
coloured spots outlined by a network of bright white lines. The blocks may
sometimes appear deep red and may also cover the legs. Range:
northeastern Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia.
• Angolan Giraffe or Smoky Giraffe (G. c. angolensis) – large spots and some
notches around the edges, extending down the entire lower leg. Range:
Angola, Zambia.
• Kordofan Giraffe (G. c. antiquorum) – smaller, more irregular spots that cover
the inner legs. Range: western and southwestern Sudan, Cameroon.
• Maasai Giraffe or Kilimanjaro Giraffe (G. c. tippelskirchi) – jagged-edged, vine-
leaf shaped spots of dark chocolate on a yellowish background. Range:
central and southern Kenya, Tanzania.
• Nubian Giraffe (G. c. camelopardalis) – large, four-sided spots of chestnut
brown on an off-white background and no spots on inner sides of the legs or
below the hocks. Range: eastern Sudan, northeast Congo.
• Rothschild Giraffe or Baringo Giraffe or Ugandan Giraffe (G. c. rothschildi) –
deep brown, blotched or rectangular spots with poorly defined cream lines.
Hocks may be spotted. Range: Uganda, north-central Kenya.
• South African Giraffe (G. c. giraffa) – rounded or blotched spots, some with
star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves.
Range: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
• Thornicroft Giraffe or Rhodesian Giraffe (G. c. thornicrofti) – star-shaped or
leafy spots extend to the lower leg. Range: eastern Zambia.
• West African Giraffe or Nigerian Giraffe (G. c. peralta) – numerous pale,
yellowish red spots. Range: Niger.
Some scientists regard Kordofan and West African Giraffes as a single subspecies; similarly with
Nubian and Rothschild's Giraffes, and with Angolan and South African Giraffes. Further, some
scientists regard all populations except the Masai Giraffes as a single subspecies. By contrast,
scientists have proposed four other subspecies — Cape Giraffe (G. c. capensis), Lado Giraffe
(G. c. cottoni), Congo Giraffe (G. c. congoensis), and Transvaal Giraffe (G. c. wardi) — but
none of these is widely accepted.
Though giraffes of these populations interbreed freely under conditions of captivity, suggesting
that they are subspecific populations, genetic testing published in 2007 has been interpreted to
show that there may be at least six species of giraffe that are reproductively isolated and not
interbreeding, even though no natural obstacles, like mountain ranges or impassable rivers block
their mutual access. In fact, the study found that the two giraffe populations that live closest to
each other— the reticulated giraffe (G. camelopardalis reticulata) of north Kenya, and the Masai
giraffe (G. c. tippelskirchi) in south Kenya— separated genetically between 0.13 and 1.62
million years BP, judging from genetic drift in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
The implications for conservation of as many as eleven such cryptic species and sub-species
were summarised by David Brown for BBC News: "Lumping all giraffes into one species
obscures the reality that some kinds of giraffe are on the brink. Some of these populations
number only a few hundred individuals and need immediate protection."
