Not only are giraffes the tallest animals in the world, they are also one of the most recognizable. Their characteristic long necks quickly captivate any audience. That being said, it is not commonly known that there are thought to be nine subspecies of Giraffa camelopardalis. In fact, there is increasing evidence that these could potentially be separate species in their own right. This paper will discuss where giraffes fit in the Tree of Life and identify the giraffe’s closest relatives, differentiate and analyze the similarities and differences between the nine subspecies, and, finally, explore any debate revolving around the phylogeny of the subspecies.
The full scientific classification of the giraffe is Animalia Chordata Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Pecora Giraffidea Giraffa camelopardalis. There were at one time seven species in the genus Giraffa but today only one is still extant: camelopardalis, (Mitchell and Skinner, 2010). Because the modern giraffe does not have any other extant species within its genus, it is helpful to look the phylogenetic tree from a broader perspective. Going beyond the level of genus, the giraffe belong to the family Giraffidea. This family, though, is very small, as it only contains two different extant genera: Giraffa and Okapia, (Lerner and Lerner, 2008) Okapia, or the okapi, represents the closest living relative to the giraffe, and the two are very similar both morphologically and molecularly. The two animals can trace their ancestry back from the “gelocid ancestral assemblage” 20-25 million years to the family Palaeomeridae. From the palaeomerycids arose the Antilocaprinae from the subfamily Dromomerycinae, and two subfamilies of giraffids, the Climacoceratidae and Canthumerycidae. (...
... middle of paper ...
... Giraffa camelopardalis. Proceedings of the Zoological
Society of London 74:202-229
Hassanin, A. et all, 2007. Mitochondrial DNA variability in Giraffa camelopardalis:
consequences for taxonomy, phylogeography and conservation of giraffes in West and
central Africa. Comptes Rendus Biologies 330:265-274
Lerner, E. and Lerner, B., 2008. Giraffes and okapi. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science 4
Mitchell, G. and Skinner, J., On the origin, evolution and phylogeny of giraffes Giraffa
camelopardalis. Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa 58:51-73
Cope, E., 1888, The Artiodactyl. The American Naturalist 264:1079-1095
Baxter, K., 1962., The energy metabolism of ruminants. p. 326. Hutchinson, London.
Giraffe Conservation Foundation, 2014. Giraffa subspecies.
http://www.giraffeconservation.org/giraffe_facts.php?pgid=6, retrieved April 12, 2014.
3 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. http://eol.org/pages/323582/details>. Evans, Arthur V., Rosser W. Garrison, Neil Schlager, and Michael Hutchins. Grzimeks' Animal Life Encyclopedia.
The text “The Domesticity of Giraffes” is a poem written by Judith Beveridge. It is based upon the concept of caging animals, specifically giraffes, and the negative effects of keeping animals in captivity.
Wright, J. "Animal Diversity Web." ADW: Tardigrada: INFORMATION. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
As time progress on the phylogeny, Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus afarensis were considered to be direct descendants of Proconsul heseloni. However it was decided that A. afarensis branched off and became extinct with no other descendants. Reasons for branching A. africanus and A. afarensis include the data taken from the brain vs....
Works Cited "Animal Planet" Animal Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 09 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.
Works Cited Bates, D. (1957, December 17). Letter from Roy Wilkins. Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America. Beals, M. P. (1994). The Species of the World.
The species A. afarensis is one of the better known australopithecines, with regards to the number of samples attributed to the species. From speculations about their close relatives, the gorilla and chimpanzee, A. afarensis’ probable social structure can be presumed. The species was named by Johanson and Taieb in 1973. This discovery of a skeleton lead to a heated debate over the validity of the species. The species eventually was accepted by most researchers as a new species of australopithecine and a likely candidate for a human ancestor.
Did you know thousands of years ago giraffes did not only live in Africa, but they also lived in North America? We do not see these species in North America anymore because they all died because of their inability to adapt. Giraffes adapted into their environment because the food they were eating was on taller trees and after a while, only the selection with longer necks were left. The giraffes we see today, have longer necks because they are the ones that survived by adapting. As all other animals, giraffes are living things because they get energy, move and grow, reproduce, protect themselves, and adapt to their environment.
All the Animals are bewildered as they try to figure out what caused this. Finally the giraffes step forward admit to their part in the dilemma and take they blame. The animals are furious, but being sensible put aside their anger and decide to deal with the situation on hand. All the ...
The American cheetah, who once roamed the North American plains, is thought to have become extinct around 10,000 years ago (Blue Line, N.D.). In the 1970’s the fossils were found in a cave in Wyoming and scientists originally hypothesized that the species was from the cougar lineage. It was proven to be a cheetah because of its lighter body and nasal cavities. Scientists also believed that they had gone extinct due to climate change or loss of its prey. This land mammal may have been quite fast but could not reach the 65-mile-per-hour range of the South African cheetah. This predator is more closely related to modern pumas and cougars than to the African cheetah. Genetic studies reveal that the American cheetahs closest relatives are the mountain
1. A giraffe’s habitat consists mainly of savanna and dry open woodland. They prefer to live in warm areas with tall grass to run wild and move freely. They are considered herbivores so they eat leaves off of trees, twigs, shrubs, and mimosa(Australian tree with flowers). A majority of giraffe’s easily adapt to environments that meet their needs. These animals don’t necessarily have predators because of their size. It’s very rare that a large lion pack takes one down. Studies show that they don’t have any animals as their prey.
The okapi (pronounced oh-COP-ee) is a beautiful and unusual animal. With its white-and-black striped hindquarters and front legs, it looks like it must be related to zebras! But take a look at an okapi’s head, and you’ll notice a resemblance to giraffes. The okapi is indeed the only living relative of the giraffe. Like a giraffe, the okapi has very large, upright ears, which catch even slight sounds, helping the animal avoid trouble. The okapi also has a long, dark, prehensile tongue, just like a giraffe’s, to help it strip the buds and young leaves from the understory brush of its rain forest
Giraffes are some of the biggest animals in the world they can grow up to 18 ft tall!
Hippopotamuses are very fascinating animals to study and observe. With their semiaquatic lifestyle, they appear to be more closely related to whales than other hoofed mammals. Their ability to be versatile in their habitats helps protects them against different dangers that they face. During this research paper I learned many facts about hippopotamuses that I was not previously aware of.
Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.