Angolan giraffe

The Angolan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis), also known as the Namibian giraffe, is a subspecies of giraffe that is found in northern Namibia, south-western Zambia, Botswana, and western Zimbabwe.

Angolan giraffe
Males in Etosha National Park, Namibia.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Giraffidae
Genus: Giraffa
Species:
G. camelopardalis
Subspecies:
G. c. angolensis
Trinomial name
Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis
(Lydekker, 1903)
Range map in yellow

Taxonomy

A 2009 genetic study on this subspecies suggests the northern Namib Desert and Etosha National Park populations each form a separate subspecies. However, genetic studies based on mitochondrial DNA do not support the division into two subspecies.,[2][3] but could identify giraffe in southern Zimbabwe as Angolan giraffe, suggestion a further eastward distribution than expected.[3]

Description

This subspecies has large brown blotches with edges that are either somewhat notched or have angular extensions. The spotting pattern extends throughout the legs but not the upper part of the face. The neck and rump patches tend to be fairly small. The subspecies also has a white ear patch.

Habitat

Home range size of Angolan giraffes was found to be larger in unproductive areas such as the Namib Desert and much smaller in more productive areas such as Lake Manyara National Park.[4]

Conservation

Approximately 13,000 animals are estimated to remain in the wild;[5] and about 20 are kept in zoos.

References
  1. Muller, Z.; Bercovitch, F.; Brand, R.; Brown, D.; Brown, M.; Bolger, D.; Carter, K.; Deacon, F.; Doherty, J.B.; Fennessy, J.; Fennessy, S.; Hussein, A.A.; Lee, D.; Marais, A.; Strauss, M.; Tutchings, A. & Wube, T. (2016). "Giraffa camelopardalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T9194A109326950. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T9194A51140239.en.{{cite iucn}}: error: |doi= / |page= mismatch (help)
  2. Brown, David M; Brenneman, Rick A; Koepfli, Klaus-Peter; Pollinger, John P; Milá, Borja; Georgiadis, Nicholas J; Louis, Edward E; Grether, Gregory F; Jacobs, David K (2007). "Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe". BMC Biology. 5 (1): 57. doi:10.1186/1741-7007-5-57. ISSN 1741-7007. PMC 2254591. PMID 18154651.
  3. Winter, Sven; Fennessy, Julian; Fennessy, Stephanie; Janke, Axel (2018). "Matrilineal population structure and distribution of the Angolan giraffe in the Namib desert and beyond". Ecological Genetics and Genomics. 7–8: 1–5. doi:10.1016/j.egg.2018.03.003. ISSN 2405-9854.
  4. Flanagan, S. E.; Brown, M. B.; Fennessy, J.; Bolger, D. T. (2016). "Use of home range behaviour to assess establishment in translocated giraffes". Afr. J. Ecol. 54: 365–374. doi:10.1111/aje.12299.
  5. Fennessy, Julian; Bidon, Tobias; Reuss, Friederike; Kumar, Vikas; Elkan, Paul; Nilsson, Maria A.; Vamberger, Melita; Fritz, Uwe; Janke, Axel (2016). "Multi-locus Analyses Reveal Four Giraffe Species Instead of One". Current Biology. 26 (18): 2543–2549. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.036. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 27618261.


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