The discovery that changed everything
For most of modern history, everyone assumed a giraffe was a giraffe: one species, some regional variation in the spots, end of story.
Turns out, that’s not the case!
Research by GCF and partners — including the first Africa-wide genetic study of giraffe, later backed up by genomic analysis and a large study of giraffe skull shape — showed that there are four distinct species, with seven subspecies between them. They occupy separate regions of Africa and don’t interbreed in the wild. The differences between them are comparable to those between a brown bear and a polar bear.
Meet the four species of giraffe
Northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) — the rarest by far, at roughly 7,037 animals across central and West Africa. Includes the Kordofan, Nubian, and West African giraffe. Tends to have larger, more prominent ossicones, including a noticeable bump on the forehead of male northern giraffe.
Reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata) — around 20,901, mainly in Kenya and the Horn of Africa. The one people picture: sharp-edged liver-red patches separated by crisp white lines, like cracked tiles.
Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi) — around 43,926, across Kenya and Tanzania, with a small isolated population of Luangwa giraffe in Zambia. Ragged, vine-leaf-shaped patches with soft, feathered edges. The messiest coat, in the best way.
Southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa) — around 68,837, and the most numerous. Southern Africa: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe. Rounder, blotchier patches that fade down the legs. Includes the Angolan and South African giraffe.
Asha, Dobby, Ninja, and Mae are Angolan giraffe — a subspecies of southern giraffe, living in Namibia — and ambassadors for our giraffe rewilding program, which has helped return over 300 wild giraffe to their historical habitat in the wild.
Choose your giraffe and follow their journey for a full year. Adoptions start at $25.
Why this matters
Splitting one species into four doesn’t change how many giraffe exist, but it completely changes what those numbers mean.
As “one species with 140,000 animals,” giraffe look like a species doing fine. As four species, the picture fractures: southern giraffe are increasing, while northern giraffe — at around 7,037 — are among the most threatened large mammals on the planet. One of those realities was hidden inside the other for decades.
Four species means four separate conservation challenges, four sets of priorities, four different plans. After all, you cannot conserve an animal you have misidentified. Let’s not lose a species we only just realized existed.
Four species, four giraffe to adopt
Asha, Dobby, Ninja, and Mae are Angolan giraffe — a subspecies of southern giraffe — living in the vast landscapes of Namibia, which have benefitted from decades of consistent conservation work and monitoring. GCF’s longest-running monitoring project started in the late 1990s and continues to inform our conservation work throughout Africa.
