Animal picture of the day: giraffe spots
Jeremy Hancemongabay.com
September 08, 2011
| Mongabay.com features a Picture of the Day several days a week |
Giraffe patterns. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs.
A South African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in Chobe National Park, Botswana. The world's tallest land animal, giraffes inhabit sub-Saharan Africa.
Giraffes are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, but some populations are in grave peril of extinction, while others have disappeared entirely.
Giraffes are generally considered one species and lumped into a varying number of subspecies (often nine), however a 2007 study suggest there may be as many as 6 species of giraffe in total. If that becomes accepted, it could mean a number of giraffe species are, in fact, threatened.
To learn more about giraffes: All about giraffes: an interview with a giraffe expert.
