Limited introgression supports division of giraffe into four species
All giraffe (Giraffa) were previously assigned to a single species (G. camelopardalis) and nine subspecies. However, multi-locus analyses of all subspecies have shown that there are four genetically distinct clades and suggest four giraffe species. This conclusion might not be fully accepted due to limited data and lack of explicit gene flow analyses. Here, we […]
Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe
Background: A central question in the evolutionary diversification of large, widespread, mobile mammals is how substantial differentiation can arise, particularly in the absence of topographic or habitat barriers to dispersal. All extant giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are currently considered to represent a single species classified into multiple subspecies. However, geographic variation in traits such as pelage […]
Supplement on the paper of: Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe.
Brown et al. (pp. 63/64, if I counted correctly, – the page numbers on the PDF of the paper are “not for citation puposes”) suggest “that the giraffe might represent more than one species” and that their results and arguments “support viewing the giraffe as containing multiple distinct species rather than a single polymorphic form. […]
On comparing the behaviour of zoo housed animals with wild conspecifics as a welfare indicator, using the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) as a model
To assess the validity of using wild behavioral data as a welfare indicator for zoo animals, the time budgets of 19 captive giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), from four zoos were compared with the time budgets of wild giraffe from Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Differences were shown to exist between the behavior of wild and captive giraffe. […]
The Subspeciation of the Giraffe
A brief overview on the use of coat color, spot pattern, and horn appearance as a poor basis for categorizing species/subspecies of giraffe.
Giraffe Intergradation in Kenya
Since data concerning the distribution of the species and races of giraffe are scarce, the following observation, which concerns apparent hybrids between the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) and the Masai giraffe (G. capensis tippelskirchi), a race of the southern species, seems noteworthy. The reticulated giraffe inhibits such low-level deserts in Kenya as lie north […]