Order Artiodactyla Genus Giraffa Higher classification Giraffe | Phylum Chordata Scientific name Giraffa camelopardalis Rank Species | |
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Similar Giraffe, Lion, Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros, Elephants | ||
The northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is a species of giraffe native to North Africa. It is considered the type species and one of the four living species of the genus Giraffa. The species was described and given its binomial name by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Three subspecies are recognized.
Contents
All giraffes are considered Vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN.
Giraffidae
Taxonomy and evolution
All living giraffes were originally classified as one species by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. He gave it the binomial name Cervus camelopardalis. Morten Thrane Brünnich classified the genus Giraffa in 1772. The species name camelopardalis is from Latin.
Whilst three other giraffe species were once considered subspecies of the conglomerate Giraffa camelopardalis species, recent studies have identified the northern giraffe as one of the four separate species of a reorganised Giraffa genus.[1][2] This species is composed of three subspecies: the Nubian giraffe (G. c. camelopardalis), Kordofan giraffe (G. c. antiquorom) and West African giraffe (G. c. peralta). Around 4,550 individuals from all subspecies are currently present in the wild.
Subspecies
Three subspecies of northern giraffes are recognised. A former subspecies are also included- Rothschild's giraffe was once considered its own subspecies, but after recent genetic analysis, it has been deemed conspecific with the Nubian giraffe.