In the Eocene and Oligocene epochs, which spanned approximately 30-50 million years ago, Helladotherium, an antelope-like creature standing three meters tall, roamed the plains and forests of Asia and Europe. Helladotherium holds the distinction of being the forefather of the giraffe, which we recognize today, and the okapi, the remaining members of the Giraffidae family. Remarkably, more than ten fossil genera have been discovered to date, suggesting that early giraffids, akin to deer, had yet to develop the signature long neck of their modern-day descendant, the giraffe, by the Miocene epoch, roughly 6-20 million years ago.
The giraffe, like the okapi, hippo, oryx, buffalo, and cattle, is an even-toed ungulate. This distinguishes them from rhino, zebra, and horses, which are classified as odd-toed ungulates. The giraffe, the world’s tallest animal and largest ruminant, belongs to the following taxonomic categories:
- Class: Mammalia (mammals)
- Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)
- Family: Giraffidae
- Genus: Giraffa
While historically assumed to be one species, recent findings of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and our partners have clearly shown that there are four distinct species of giraffe with seven subspecies. All four giraffe species and their subspecies occupy distinct geographic regions within Africa. Although there have been reports of hybridization between some species in captivity, recent studies have shown that this is not the case in the wild.
- Masai giraffe Giraffa tippelskirchi
- Luangwa giraffe G. t. thornicrofti
- Masai giraffe G. t. tippelskirchi
- northern giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis
- Kordofan giraffe G. c. antiquorum
- Nubian giraffa G. c. chamelopardalis
- West African giraffe G. c. peralta
- reticulated giraffe Giraffa reticulata
- southern giraffe Giraffa giraffa
- Angolan giraffe G. g. angolensis
- South African giraffe G. g. giraffa
