Landmark breakthrough reshapes giraffe conservation and raises urgency to protect newly recognized species
In a groundbreaking announcement, the IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG) has formally recognized four genetically distinct species of giraffe across Africa — a move expected to significantly boost international conservation efforts for these iconic yet increasingly threatened animals.
The reclassification marks the culmination of over a decade of collaborative research led by the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), under Prof. Axel Janke, and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), led by Dr. Julian Fennessy. The team’s work challenged centuries-old taxonomy, which had treated all giraffe as a single species since 1758.
“This recognition is more than symbolic,” said Dr. Julian Fennessy, GCF’s Co-founder and Director of Conservation. “Each giraffe species faces different threats, and now we can tailor conservation strategies to meet their specific needs. It gives African countries and the global community the tools to act — before it’s too late.”
The discovery first emerged in 2016, when SBiK-F and GCF published genetic data showing deep divergences between giraffe populations — comparable to the differences between polar bears and brown bears. Despite their similar appearance, the study revealed that giraffe are not one species but four: the Masai giraffe, northern giraffe, reticulated giraffe, and southern giraffe. Each species occupies different habitats, has unique population sizes, and faces distinct threats — making species-level recognition critical for their conservation.
The research began with a practical request: GCF approached Prof. Janke’s lab to develop genetic markers to guide giraffe conservation in the field. That effort evolved into a continent-wide genomic study. Over more than a decade, the team collected tissue samples from giraffe populations across Africa, including in politically unstable and remote regions such as Chad, Niger, and South Sudan. A recently published morphological study of giraffe skulls provided further confirmation and helped bridge the gap between genetic and traditional taxonomy.
“To describe four new large mammal species after more than 250 years of taxonomy is extraordinary,” said Prof. Axel Janke. “Especially for animals as iconic as giraffe, which roam Africa in plain sight. Our genetic analyses show that the differences between giraffe species are as distinct as those between brown and polar bears.”
While taxonomic conservatism initially slowed adoption, this body of research steadily gained momentum. Today’s IUCN decision reflects growing scientific consensus and lays the foundation for urgent conservation action.
“This announcement will surprise many — how could we have overlooked something so fundamental?” said Fennessy. “But it underscores the importance of combining fieldwork with genetics to drive real-world conservation outcomes.”
The next step: the IUCN will assess the conservation status of each species for the Red List. Preliminary findings suggest that three of the four species may qualify as threatened, due to dramatic declines and habitat fragmentation.
“What a tragedy it would be to lose a species we’ve only just discovered.” said Stephanie Fennessy, GCF’s Co-founder and Executive Director.
