Editing Giraffe (section)

===Species and subspecies===
[[File:Genetic subdivision in the giraffe based on mitochondrial DNA sequences.png|thumb|right|alt=Approximate geographic ranges, fur patterns, and phylogenetic relationships between some giraffe subspecies|Map showing "Approximate geographic ranges, fur patterns, and [[phylogenetics|phylogenetic]] relationships between some giraffe subspecies based on [[mitochondrial DNA]] sequences. Colored dots on the map represent sampling localities. The phylogenetic tree is a [[maximum-likelihood]] [[Phylogenetic tree#Special tree types|phylogram]] based on samples from 266 giraffes. Asterisks along branches correspond to [[Clade#Definitions|node]] values of more than 90% [[Resampling (statistics)|bootstrap]] support. Stars at branch tips identify [[paraphyletic]] [[haplotype]]s found in Maasai and reticulated giraffes".<ref name=GeneticStructure/>]]
The [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) currently recognises only one species of giraffe with nine subspecies.<ref name=iucn/>

[[Carl Linnaeus]] originally classified living giraffes as one species in 1758. He gave it the [[Binomial nomenclature|binomial]] name ''[[Cervus]] camelopardalis''. [[Mathurin Jacques Brisson]] coined the generic name ''Giraffa'' in 1762.<ref name=Dagg1971>{{Cite journal|author=Dagg, A. I.|author-link=Anne Innis Dagg |year=1971 |title=''Giraffa camelopardalis''|journal=[[Mammalian Species]]|pages=1–8 |issue=5 |jstor=3503830 |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-005-01-0001.pdf |doi=10.2307/3503830 |access-date=25 October 2011 |archive-date=21 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421052751/http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-005-01-0001.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> During the 1900s, various taxonomies with two or three species were proposed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gippoliti |first=S. |date=2018|title=Impacts of taxonomic inertia for the conservation of African ungulate diversity: an overview |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/brv.12335 |journal=[[Biological Reviews]]|volume=93|issue=1|pages=115–130 |doi=10.1111/brv.12335 |pmid=28429851 |s2cid=5189968|access-date=21 April 2021|archive-date=3 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403050548/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/brv.12335|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2007 study on the genetics of giraffes using mitochondrial DNA suggested at least six lineages could be recognised as species.<ref name=GeneticStructure>{{cite journal|title=Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe|author1=Brown, D. M. |author2=Brenneman R. A. |author3=Koepfli, K.-P. |author4=Pollinger, J. P. |author5=Milá, B. |author6=Georgiadis, N. J. |author7=Louis Jr., E. E. |author8=Grether, G. F. |author9=Jacobs, D. K. |author10=Wayne R. K. |journal= [[BMC Biology]] |year=2007 |volume=5 |issue=1 |page=57 |doi=10.1186/1741-7007-5-57 |pmc=2254591|pmid=18154651 |doi-access=free}}</ref> A 2011 study using detailed analyses of the morphology of giraffes, and application of the [[Species|phylogenetic species concept]], described eight species of living giraffes.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v3uZtA1ZpTAC&q=ungulate+taxonomy&pg=PP2|title=Ungulate Taxonomy |last1=Groves |first1=C. |last2=Grubb |first2=P. |year=2011 |pages=68–70|publisher=[[JHU Press]] |isbn=9781421400938 |access-date=17 October 2020|archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922073613/https://books.google.com/books?id=v3uZtA1ZpTAC&q=ungulate+taxonomy&pg=PP2 |url-status=live}}</ref> A 2016 study also concluded that living giraffes consist of multiple species. The researchers suggested the existence of four species, which have not exchanged genetic information between each other for one to two million years.<ref name="cur.biol 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Fennessy |first1=J. |last2=Bidon |first2=T. |last3=Reuss |first3=F. |last4=Kumar |first4=V. |last5=Elkan |first5=P. |last6=Nilsson |first6=M. A. |last7=Vamberger|first7=M. |last8=Fritz|first8=U. |last9=Janke |first9=A. |year=2016 |title=Multi-locus Analyses reveal four giraffe species instead of one |journal=[[Current Biology]] |volume=26 |issue=18 |pages=2543–2549 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.036 |pmid=27618261 |s2cid=3991170 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2016CBio...26.2543F }}</ref>

A 2020 study showed that depending on the method chosen, different taxonomic hypotheses recognizing from two to six species can be considered for the genus ''Giraffa''. That study also found that multi-species coalescent methods can lead to taxonomic over-splitting, as those methods delimit geographic structures rather than species. The three-species hypothesis, which recognises ''G''. ''camelopardalis'', ''G''. ''giraffa'', and ''G''. ''tippelskirchi'', is highly supported by [[Phylogenetics|phylogenetic]] analyses and also corroborated by most population genetic and multi-species coalescent analyses.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last1=Petzold|first1=A. |last2=Hassanin |first2=A. |date=2020 |title=A comparative approach for species delimitation based on multiple methods of multi-locus DNA sequence analysis: A case study of the genus ''Giraffa'' (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla) |journal=[[PLOS One]] |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=e0217956 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0217956 |pmid=32053589 |pmc=7018015 |bibcode=2020PLoSO..1517956P |doi-access=free}}</ref> A 2021 [[whole genome sequencing]] study suggests the existence of four distinct species and seven subspecies,<ref name=Coimbra2021>{{cite journal|last1=Coimbra|first1=R.T.F. |last2=Winter|first2=S. |last3=Kumar |first3=V. |last4=Koepfli|first4=K.-P. |last5=Gooley|first5=R. M. |last6=Dobrynin |first6=P. |last7=Fennessy|first7=J. |last8=Janke|first8=A. |title=Whole-genome analysis of giraffe supports four distinct species |journal=Current Biology |volume=31 |issue=13 |year=2021 |pages=2929–2938.e5 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.033 |pmid=33957077 |s2cid=|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021CBio...31E2929C }}</ref> which was supported by a 2024 study of cranial morphology.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kargopoulos |first1=Nikolaos |last2=Marugán-Lobón |first2=Jesús |last3=Chinsamy |first3=Anusuya |last4=Agwanda |first4=Bernard R. |last5=Brown |first5=Michael Butler |last6=Fennessy |first6=Stephanie |last7=Ferguson |first7=Sara |last8=Hoffman |first8=Rigardt |last9=Lala |first9=Fredrick |last10=Muneza |first10=Arthur |last11=Mwebi |first11=Ogeto |last12=Otiende |first12=Moses |last13=Petzold |first13=Alice |last14=Winter |first14=Sven |last15=Zabeirou |first15=Abdoul Razack Moussa |last16=Fennessy |first16=Julian |title=Heads up–Four Giraffa species have distinct cranial morphology |journal=PLOS ONE |date=19 December 2024 |volume=19 |issue=12 |pages=e0315043 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0315043 |doi-access=free |pmid=39700177 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=11658530}}</ref> A 2024 study found a higher amount of ancient [[gene flow]] than expected between populations.<ref name=Bertola/>

The [[cladogram]] below shows the phylogenetic relationship between the four proposed species and seven subspecies based on a 2021 genome analysis.<ref name=Coimbra2021/> The eight lineages correspond to eight traditional subspecies in the one-species hypothesis. The Rothschild giraffe is subsumed into ''G. camelopardalis camelopardalis''.
{{clade gallery |align=center |cladogram1=
{{clade
|label1='''''Giraffa'''''
|1={{clade
   |1={{clade
      |label1=''Giraffa camelopardalis'' |sublabel1=(northern giraffe)
      |1={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1=''G. camelopardalis antiquorum'' (Kordofan giraffe)
            |2=''G. c. camelopardalis'' (Nubian giraffe)
            }}
         |2={{clade
            |1=''G. c. peralta'' (West African giraffe)
            }}
         }}
      |label2=''G. reticulata'' |sublabel2=(reticulated giraffe)
      |2={{clade |state=none |1={{clade |state=none |1=(no subspecies) }}}}
      }}
   |2={{clade
      |label1=''G. tippelskirchi''  |sublabel1=(Masai giraffe ''sensu lato'')
      |1={{clade
         |1=''G. tippelskirchi tippelskirchi'' (Masai giraffe ''sensu stricto'')
         |2=''G. t. thornicrofti'' (Luangwa or Thornicroft's giraffe)
         }}
      |label2=''G. giraffa'' |sublabel2=(southern giraffe)
      |2={{clade
         |1=''G. giraffa angolensis'' (Angolan giraffe)
         |2=''G. g. giraffa'' (South African giraffe)
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}
}}

The following table compares the different hypotheses for giraffe species. The description column shows the traditional nine subspecies in the one-species hypothesis.<ref name=iucn/><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Systema Naturæ|last=Linnaeus|first=C. |year=1758}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Species and subspecies of giraffe
! Description
! Image
! Eight species taxonomy<ref name=":2" />
! Four species taxonomy<ref name="cur.biol 2016" /><ref name="Coimbra2021"/>
! Three species taxonomy<ref name=":6" />

|-
| The '''[[Kordofan giraffe]]''' (''G. c. antiquorum'') has a distribution which includes southern [[Chad]], the [[Central African Republic]], northern [[Cameroon]], and the northeastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]].<ref name=iucn/> Populations in Cameroon were formerly included in ''G. c. peralta'', but this was incorrect.<ref name=WestAfricaGiraffe>{{Cite journal|author1=Hassanin, A. |author2=Ropiquet, A. |author3=Gourmand, B.-L. |author4=Chardonnet, B. |author5=Rigoulet, J. |year=2007 |title=Mitochondrial DNA variability in ''Giraffa camelopardalis'': consequences for taxonomy, phylogeography and conservation of giraffes in West and Central Africa |journal=[[Comptes Rendus Biologies]] |volume=330 |issue=3 |pages=173–183 |pmid=17434121|doi=10.1016/j.crvi.2007.02.008}}</ref> Compared to the Nubian giraffe, this subspecies has smaller and more irregular spotting patterns. Its spots are present on insides of the legs, sometimes below the [[Hock (anatomy)|hock]]s. A median lump is present in males.<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|51–52}} Some 2,000 are believed to remain in the wild.<ref name=iucn/> Considerable confusion has existed over the status of this subspecies and ''G. c. peralta'' in zoos. In 2007, all alleged ''G. c. peralta'' in [[List of zoos#Europe|European zoos]] were shown to be, in fact, ''G. c. antiquorum''.<ref name=WestAfricaGiraffe/> With this correction, about 65 are living in zoos.<ref name=ISIS/>
|[[File:Zoo de Vincennes, Paris, France April 2014 (7), crop.jpg|150px]]
|'''[[Kordofan giraffe]]''' <br />(''G.&nbsp;antiquorum'')<ref>Swaison 1835. Camelopardalis antiquorum. Bagger el Homer, Kordofan, about 10° N, 28° E (as fixed by Harper, 1940)</ref> 
| rowspan="4" colspan="2" style="border-bottom:0px none| '''[[Northern giraffe]]''' <br />(''G.&nbsp;camelopardalis'')
{{smalldiv|1=
Three or four subspecies:
* ''G.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;antiquorum''
* ''G.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;camelopardalis''
* ''G.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;peralta''
* ''G.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;reticulata'' (only in three-species hypothesis)
}}
|-
| The '''[[Nubian giraffe]]''' (''G. c. camelopardalis''), is found in eastern [[South Sudan]] and southwestern [[Ethiopia]], in addition to [[Kenya]] and [[Uganda]].<ref name=iucn/> It has sharp-edged [[chestnut (color)|chestnut]]-coloured spots surrounded by mostly white lines, while undersides lack spotting. A lump is prominent in the middle of the male's head.<ref name=Seymour>{{cite thesis |author=Seymour, R. |year=2001 |title=Patterns of subspecies diversity in the giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis (L. 1758): comparison of systematic methods and their implications for conservation policy |type=Ph.D. thesis|url=https://kar.kent.ac.uk/86053/}}</ref>{{rp|51}} Around 2,150 are thought to remain in the wild, with another 1,500 individuals belonging to the [[Rothschild's giraffe|Rothschild's]] [[ecotype]].<ref name=iucn/> With the addition of Rothschild's giraffe to the Nubian subspecies, the Nubian giraffe is very common in captivity, although the original phenotype is rare — a group is kept at [[Al Ain Zoo]] in the [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref name="Al Ain exhibits">{{cite web |title=Exhibits|url=http://www.awpr.ae/en/Visit/Pages/AfricanMixedExhibit.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129023015/http://www.awpr.ae/en/Visit/Pages/AfricanMixedExhibit.aspx|archive-date=29 November 2011 |publisher=[[Al Ain Zoo]] |date=25 February 2003|access-date=21 November 2011}}</ref> In 2003, this group numbered 14.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uaeinteract.com/docs/Nubian_giraffe_born_in_Al_Ain_zoo/6971.htm |title=Nubian giraffe born in Al Ain zoo |publisher=UAE Interact |access-date=21 December 2010|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320090832/http://www.uaeinteract.com/docs/Nubian_giraffe_born_in_Al_Ain_zoo/6971.htm|archive-date=20 March 2012}}</ref>
|[[File:Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis (Al Ain Zoo, UAE), crop & flip.jpg|150px]]
| rowspan="2" |'''[[Nubian giraffe]]'''  <br />(''G.&nbsp;camelopardalis'')<ref name=":1" />

Also known as '''[[Lake Baringo|Baringo]] giraffe''' or '''[[Uganda]]n giraffe'''

{{smalldiv|1=
Two subspecies:
* ''G.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;camelopardalis''
* ''G.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;rothschildi'' (Rothschild's giraffe)
}}

|-
|'''[[Rothschild's giraffe]]''' (''G. c. rothschildi'') may be an ecotype of ''G. camelopardalis''. Its range includes parts of Uganda and [[Kenya]].<ref name=iucn/> Its presence in South Sudan is uncertain.<ref name=IUCNrothschildi>{{cite iucn |author=Fennessy, S. |author2=Fennessy, J. |author3=Muller, Z. |author4=Brown, M. |author5=Marais, A. |date=2018 |title=''Giraffa camelopardalis'' ssp. ''rothschildi'' |volume=2018 |page=e.T174469A51140829 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T174469A51140829.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> This giraffe has large dark patches with normally well-defined edges but sometimes split. The dark spots may also have swirls of pale colour within them. Spotting rarely reaches below the hocks and rarely to the hooves. This ecotype may also develop five "horns".<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|53}} Around 1,500 individuals are believed to remain in the wild,<ref name=iucn/> and more than 450 are living in zoos.<ref name=ISIS/> According to genetic analysis circa September 2016, it is [[Biological specificity|conspecific]] with the [[Nubian giraffe]] (''G. c. camelopardalis'').<ref name="cur.biol 2016" />
|[[File:Rothschild's Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) male (7068054987), crop & edit.jpg|150px]]

|-
| The '''[[West African giraffe]]''' (''G. c. peralta'') is [[endemic]] to southwestern Niger.<ref name=iucn/> This animal has a lighter [[pelage]] (fur) than other subspecies,<ref name=Kingdon1988>{{Cite book|author=Kingdon, J. |year=1988|title=East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa |volume=((3, Part B: Large Mammals)) |pages=313–337 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-43722-4}}</ref>{{rp|322}} with red lobe-shaped blotches that reach under the hocks. The ossicones are more erect than in other subspecies, and males have well-developed median lumps.<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|52–53}} It is the most endangered subspecies within ''Giraffa'', with 400 individuals remaining in the wild.<ref name=iucn/> Giraffes in Cameroon were formerly believed to belong to this species, but are actually ''G. c. antiquorum''. This error resulted in some confusion over its status in zoos, but in 2007 it was established that all "''G. c. peralta''" kept in European zoos are actually ''G. c. antiquorum''. The same 2007 study found that the West African giraffe was more closely related to Rothschild's giraffe than the Kordofan, and its ancestor may have migrated from eastern to northern Africa and then west as the [[Sahara]] Desert spread. At its largest, [[Lake Chad]] may have acted as a boundary between the West African and Kordofan giraffes during the [[Holocene]] (before 5000 BC).<ref name=WestAfricaGiraffe/>
|[[File:Giraffe-solo Koure-NIGER.jpg|150px]]
|'''[[West African giraffe]]''' <br />(''G.&nbsp;peralta''),<ref name=IUCNperalta>{{cite iucn|author=Fennessy, J. |author2=Marais, A. |author3=Tutchings, A. |year=2018 |title=''Giraffa camelopardalis'' ssp. ''peralta'' |page=e.T136913A51140803}}</ref>

Also known as '''[[Niger]] giraffe''' or '''[[Nigeria]]n giraffe'''

|-
| The '''[[reticulated giraffe]]''' (''G. c. reticulata'') is native to northeastern Kenya, southern Ethiopia, and [[Somalia]].<ref name=iucn/> Its distinctive coat pattern consists of sharp-edged, reddish-brown polygonal patches surrounded by thin white lines. Spots may or may not extend under the hocks, and a median lump is present in males.<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|53}} An estimated 8,660 individuals remain in the wild,<ref name=iucn/> and based on [[International Species Information System]] records, more than 450 are living in zoos.<ref name=ISIS>{{cite web|url=https://app.isis.org/abstracts/Abs77545.asp |title=Giraffa |publisher=[[International Species Information System|ISIS]] |year=2010|access-date= 4 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706081917/https://app.isis.org/abstracts/Abs77545.asp |archive-date=6 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A 2024 study found that the reticulated giraffe is the result of [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridisation]] between northern and southern giraffe lineages.<ref name=Bertola>{{cite journal|last1=Bertola|first1=L. D.|last2=Quinn|first2=L|last3=Hanghøj|first3=K|last4=Garcia-Erill|first4=E|last5=Rasmussen|first5=S. M.|last6=Meisner|first6=J|last7=Bøggild|first7=T|last8=Wang|first8=X|last9=Lin|first9=L|last10=Nursyifa|first10=C|last11=Liu|first11=X|last12=Li|first12=Z|last13=Chege|first13=M|last14=Moodley|first14=Y|last15=Brüniche-Olsen|first15=A|last16=Kuja|first16=J|last17=Schubert|first17=M|last18=Agaba|first18=M|last19=Santander|first19=C. G.|last20=Sinding|first20=M-H. S.|last21=Muwanika|first21=V|last22=Masembe|first22=C|last23=Siegismund|first23=H. R.|last24=Moltke|first24=I|last25=Albrechtsen|first25=A|last26=Heller|first26=R.|year=2024|title=Giraffe lineages are shaped by major ancient admixture events|journal=Current Biology|volume=34 |issue=7 |pages=1576–1586.e5 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.051|doi-access=free|pmid=38479386 |bibcode=2024CBio...34E1576B }}</ref>
|[[File:Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata 01, flip.jpg|150px]]
| colspan="2" | '''[[Reticulated giraffe]]''' <br />(''G.&nbsp;reticulata''),<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Winton|first=W. E. de|date=1899 |title=XXXVIII.—On mammals collected by Lieut.-Colonel W. Giffard in the northern territory of the Gold Coast |journal=[[Annals and Magazine of Natural History]] |volume=4 |issue=2 3|pages=353–359 |doi=10.1080/00222939908678212|issn=0374-5481 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1430367|access-date=16 September 2019|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801031317/https://zenodo.org/record/1430367|url-status=live}}</ref>

Also known as '''Somali giraffe'''

|style="border-top:0px none;" | <!-- empty cell joined to northern giraffe by hiding border -->

|-
| The '''[[Angolan giraffe]]''' (''G. c. angolensis'')<ref name=MacDonald/> occurs in northern [[Namibia]], southwestern [[Zambia]], central [[Botswana]], western [[Zimbabwe]], southern Zimbabwe and, since mid-2023, again in Angola.<ref name="2023-07-11_NPR">{{cite web |date=2023 |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/07/11/1187035189/for-the-first-time-in-decades-angolan-giraffes-now-populate-a-park-in-angola |title=For the first time in decades, Angolan giraffes now populate a park in Angola |website=[[NPR]] |access-date=12 July 2023 |archive-date=12 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712085939/https://www.npr.org/2023/07/11/1187035189/for-the-first-time-in-decades-angolan-giraffes-now-populate-a-park-in-angola |url-status=dead }}, Megan Lim, [[NPR]], 11 July 2023</ref><ref name=iucn/><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Bock |first1=F. |last2=Fennessy |first2=J. |last3=Bidon |first3=T. |last4=Tutchings |first4=A. |last5=Marais |first5=A. |last6=Deacon |first6=F. |last7=Janke |first7=A. |date=2014 |title=Mitochondrial sequences reveal a clear separation between Angolan and South African giraffe along a cryptic rift valley |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=219 |doi=10.1186/s12862-014-0219-7 |issn=1471-2148 |pmc=4207324 |pmid=25927851 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2014BMCEE..14..219B }}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Winter |first1=S. |last2=Fennessy |first2=J. |last3=Fennessy |first3=S. |last4=Janke |first4=A. |date=2018 |title=Matrilineal population structure and distribution of the Angolan giraffe in the Namib desert and beyond |journal=Ecological Genetics and Genomics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405985417300344 |volume=7-8 |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1016/j.egg.2018.03.003 |bibcode=2018EcoGG...7....1W |s2cid=90395544}}</ref> A 2009 genetic study on this subspecies suggested the northern [[Namib Desert]] and [[Etosha National Park]] populations form a separate subspecies.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01078.x |author1=Brenneman, R. A. |author2=Louis, E. E. Jr. |author3=Fennessy, J. |year=2009 |title=Genetic structure of two populations of the Namibian giraffe, ''Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis''|journal=[[African Journal of Ecology]] |volume=47 |issue=4|pages=720–728|bibcode=2009AfJEc..47..720B }}</ref> This subspecies is white with large brown blotches with pointed or cut edges. 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 mark.<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|51}} About 13,000 animals are estimated to remain in the wild,<ref name=iucn/> and about 20 are living in zoos.<ref name=ISIS/>
|[[File:Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis, flip.jpg|150px]]
|'''[[Angolan giraffe]]''' <br />(''G.&nbsp;angolensis'')

Also known as '''Namibian giraffe'''
| rowspan="2" colspan="2" |'''[[Southern giraffe]]''' (''G. giraffa'')
{{smalldiv|1=
Two subspecies:
* ''G.&nbsp;g.&nbsp;angolensis''
* ''G.&nbsp;g.&nbsp;giraffa''
}}

|-
| The '''[[South African giraffe]]''' (''G. c. giraffa'') is found in northern [[South Africa]], southern Botswana, northern Botswana and southwestern [[Mozambique]].<ref name=iucn/><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":10" /> It has a tawny background colour marked with dark, somewhat rounded patches "with some fine projections". The spots extend down the legs, growing smaller as they do. The median lump of males is relatively small.<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|52}} A maximum of 31,500 are estimated to remain in the wild,<ref name=iucn/> and around 45 are living in zoos.<ref name=ISIS/>
|[[File:Giraffe standing.jpg|150px]]
|'''[[South African giraffe]]''' <br />(''G.&nbsp;giraffa'')<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IdyuQaviYjIC&q=Rookmaaker,+1989&pg=PR9 |title=The Zoological Exploration of Southern Africa 1650–1790 |last=Rookmaaker |first=L. C. |date=1989 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=9789061918677 |access-date=17 October 2020|archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922073614/https://books.google.com/books?id=IdyuQaviYjIC&q=Rookmaaker,+1989&pg=PR9 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Also known as '''Cape giraffe'''

|-
| The '''[[Masai giraffe]]''' (''G. c. tippelskirchi'') can be found in central and southern Kenya and in [[Tanzania]].<ref name=iucn/> Its coat patterns are highly diverse, with spots ranging from mostly rounded and smooth-edged to oval-shaped and incised or loped-edged.<ref name="Lee2018"/> A median lump is usually present in males.<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|54}}<ref name=estes/> A total of 32,550 are thought to remain in the wild,<ref name=iucn/> and about 100 are living in zoos.<ref name=ISIS/>
|[[File:GiraffaCamelopardalisTippelskirchi-Masaai-Mara.JPG|150px]]
|'''[[Masai giraffe]]''' <br />(''G.&nbsp;tippelskirchi'')<ref name="MacDonald"/>

Also known as '''[[Kilimanjaro]] giraffe'''
| rowspan="2" colspan="2" |'''[[Masai giraffe]]''' (''G. tippelskirchi'')
{{smalldiv|1=
Two subspecies:
* ''G.&nbsp;t.&nbsp;tippelskirchi''
* ''G.&nbsp;t.&nbsp;thornicrofti''
}}

|-
| [[Rhodesian giraffe|'''Thornicroft's giraffe''']] (''G. c. thornicrofti'') is restricted to the [[Luangwa River|Luangwa Valley]] in eastern Zambia.<ref name=iucn/> It has notched and somewhat [[Star polygon|star-shaped]] patches which and may or may not extend across the legs. The median lump of males is modestly sized.<ref name=Seymour/>{{rp|54}} No more than 550 remain in the wild,<ref name=iucn/> with none in zoos.<ref name=ISIS/> It was named after [[Harry Scott Thornicroft]].<ref name=MacDonald>{{Cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2001|isbn=978-0-7607-1969-5|edition=2nd|pages=520–527 |author=Pellow, R. A. |contribution=Giraffe and Okapi |editor=MacDonald, D.}}</ref>
|[[File:Giraffe Walking Square, flip.jpg|150px]]
|'''[[Rhodesian giraffe|Thornicroft's giraffe]]''' <br />("''G.&nbsp;thornicrofti''")
Also known as '''Luangwa giraffe''' or '''Rhodesian giraffe'''
|}

The first extinct species to be described was ''[[Giraffa sivalensis]]'' from Pakistan, the holotype of which was reevaluated as a vertebra of separate species within the genus that was initially described as a fossil of the living giraffe.<ref name=Sittert2015>{{cite journal |last1=van Sittert |first1=S. J. |last2=Mitchell |first2=G. |title=On reconstructing ''Giraffa sivalensis'', an extinct giraffid from the Siwalik Hills, India |journal=PeerJ |date=2015 |volume=3 |page=e1135 |doi=10.7717/peerj.1135 |pmid=26290791 |pmc=4540016 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Another extinct species ''Giraffa punjabiensis'' is known from Pakistan.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Barry|first1=John C.|last2=Morgan|first2=Michèle E.|last3=Flynn|first3=Lawrence J.|last4=Pilbeam|first4=David|last5=Behrensmeyer|first5=Anna K.|last6=Raza|first6=S. Mahmood|last7= A. Khan|first7=Imran|last8=Badgley|first8=Catherine|last9=Hicks|first9=Jason|last10=Kelley|first10=Jay|year=2002|title=Faunal and Environmental Change in the Late Miocene Siwaliks of Northern Pakistan|journal=Paleobiology|volume=28|issue=2|pages=1–71|doi=10.1666/0094-8373(2002)28[1:FAECIT]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=18408360 }}</ref> Four other valid extinct species of ''Giraffa'' known from Africa are ''Giraffa gracilis'', ''[[Giraffa jumae]]'', ''[[Giraffa pygmaea]]'' and ''[[Giraffa stillei]]''.<ref name="Danowitz2015"/> "''G.''" ''pomeli'' from Algeria and Tunisia is not a species of Giraffinae, but a species of Palaeotraginae related to ''Mitilanotherium''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Harris, J.M.|author2=Solounias, N.|author3=Geraads, D.|year=2010|chapter=Giraffoidea|title=Cenozoic Mammals of Africa|editor1=Werdelin, L.|editor2=Sanders, W.J.|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Los Angeles & London|pages=797-811|isbn=9780520257214}}</ref>