Not "the giraffe" - four different species recognized

The reassessment is based on ten years of research work led by the Senckenberg Research Center in Frankfurt and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) in Namibia.

For a long time, it was believed that the African animals with the long neck were a single species - the giraffe. "Our extensive genetic and morphological studies have clearly and definitively disproved this assumption," explains Senckenberg evolutionary geneticist Axel Janke. "Our genetic analyses show that the differences between the giraffe species are just as clear as those between brown bears and polar bears."

Northern giraffe, southern giraffe, reticulated giraffe Masai giraffe

Janke's team and their partners from Namibia had already published initial research results in 2016 that pointed to "genetic divergences". Scientists collected tissue samples from giraffes from all over Africa. They examined the genetic material of 50 giraffes and ultimately found four independent species: the northern giraffe, the southern giraffe, the reticulated giraffe and the Masai giraffe.

The research also revealed that the four lineages evolved independently of each other around 230,000 to 370,000 years ago. The different giraffe species do not mate in the wild. A morphological study of giraffe skulls supports the genetic findings.

Why this is important

"The official recognition of the four species is not a mere detail of science, but has direct implications for giraffe conservation," explained GCF co-founder Julian Fennessy. "Each giraffe species requires specifically adapted conservation strategies. With official recognition, we can now develop these in a targeted manner."