Scientist Makes a Surprise Find About Giraffes

Giraffes have been grouped as one species for centuries, but new research splits them into four distinct ones, reports Discover. The unusual development is accompanied by a sobering dose of reality: Three of the four face extinction. The new information comes from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which cited genetic and anatomical studies showing significant differences among giraffes across Africa. "A giraffe is not a giraffe, so to speak," Michael Brown, a co-author of the IUCN study, tells the New York Times. "Now we have four different species, each with their own narrative. This has some dramatic implications for how we view giraffe conservation across Africa."

• The southern giraffe, which is the most numerous, is found mainly in South Africa and neighboring nations and has a population of nearly 69,000.
• The other three—the Masai, reticulated, and northern giraffes—have much smaller and more fragmented populations. The northern giraffe, for example, numbers just over 7,000 and is scattered across conflict-prone regions from South Sudan to Niger.
• For the record, the species are: Giraffa camelopardalis (northern); Giraffa giraffa (southern); Giraffa reticulata (reticulated); and Giraffa tippelskirchi (Masai), per an IUCN release.
• DNA analysis suggests these four groups split from a common ancestor roughly 280,000 years ago and have rarely interbred since. Physical differences, such as the shape of horn-like growths on their heads, set them apart. Some scientists remain cautious about drawing firm boundaries, noting that giraffe populations have mixed genes at times, leading to ongoing debate about how many species there truly are.