The giraffe, long regarded as a single species, has now officially been recognised as four distinct species.
In a groundbreaking announcement, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Giraffe and the Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG) have formally recognised four genetically distinct species of giraffe. The decision is expected to reshape conservation priorities for one of Africa’s most iconic animals.
The ruling follows more than a decade of research led by the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F) in Germany, under evolutionary geneticist Prof Axel Janke, in close collaboration with the Namibia-based Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), led by Dr Julian Fennessy.
Their findings overturn centuries of taxonomy dating back to 1758, when Carl Linnaeus classified the giraffe as a single species.
By recognising giraffe not as a single widespread species but as four unique and vulnerable ones, the IUCN decision signals a turning point in giraffe conservation — and perhaps a final chance to secure their future, researchers say.
Hidden diversity revealed
For decades, giraffes across Africa were assumed to be variations of the same species, distinguished only by coat patterns or geographic range.
But in 2016, GCF and SBiK-F published a landmark genetic study showing that giraffe populations were far more distinct than previously believed. The genetic divergences, they found, were on par with the differences separating polar bears and brown bears.
According to the GCF, the research identified four species: the Masai giraffe of East Africa, the northern giraffe of Central and West Africa, the reticulated giraffe of the Horn of Africa, and the southern giraffe, found mainly in southern Africa. Each species inhabits different ecosystems, has unique population dynamics, and faces distinct conservation threats.
“To describe four new large mammal species after more than 250 years of taxonomy is extraordinary,” said Janke. “Especially for an animal as iconic as the giraffe, which has always roamed in plain sight.”
Decade-long effort
The discovery did not come easily. Over ten years, researchers and conservationists collected genetic samples from giraffes across the continent, sometimes working in extremely remote and politically unstable areas.
“This recognition is more than symbolic,” said Fennessy. “Each giraffe species faces different threats, from poaching to habitat loss, and now we can tailor conservation strategies to meet their specific needs. It gives African countries and the global community the tools to act, before it’s too late.”
The IUCN’s recognition lays the groundwork for new Red List assessments that will evaluate each giraffe species independently. Preliminary findings suggest that three of the four may already qualify as threatened, due to dramatic population declines and ongoing habitat fragmentation.
“This announcement will surprise many – how could we have overlooked something so fundamental?” said Fennessy. “But it underscores the importance of combining fieldwork with genetics to drive real-world conservation outcomes.”
With giraffe populations overall having declined by nearly 30% in the past 30 years, conservationists hope that species-level recognition will spark greater international attention and funding.
In a groundbreaking announcement, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Giraffe and the Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG) have formally recognised four genetically distinct species of giraffe. The decision is expected to reshape conservation priorities for one of Africa’s most iconic animals.
The ruling follows more than a decade of research led by the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F) in Germany, under evolutionary geneticist Prof Axel Janke, in close collaboration with the Namibia-based Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), led by Dr Julian Fennessy.
Their findings overturn centuries of taxonomy dating back to 1758, when Carl Linnaeus classified the giraffe as a single species.
By recognising giraffe not as a single widespread species but as four unique and vulnerable ones, the IUCN decision signals a turning point in giraffe conservation — and perhaps a final chance to secure their future, researchers say.
Hidden diversity revealed
For decades, giraffes across Africa were assumed to be variations of the same species, distinguished only by coat patterns or geographic range.
But in 2016, GCF and SBiK-F published a landmark genetic study showing that giraffe populations were far more distinct than previously believed. The genetic divergences, they found, were on par with the differences separating polar bears and brown bears.
According to the GCF, the research identified four species: the Masai giraffe of East Africa, the northern giraffe of Central and West Africa, the reticulated giraffe of the Horn of Africa, and the southern giraffe, found mainly in southern Africa. Each species inhabits different ecosystems, has unique population dynamics, and faces distinct conservation threats.
“To describe four new large mammal species after more than 250 years of taxonomy is extraordinary,” said Janke. “Especially for an animal as iconic as the giraffe, which has always roamed in plain sight.”
Decade-long effort
The discovery did not come easily. Over ten years, researchers and conservationists collected genetic samples from giraffes across the continent, sometimes working in extremely remote and politically unstable areas.
“This recognition is more than symbolic,” said Fennessy. “Each giraffe species faces different threats, from poaching to habitat loss, and now we can tailor conservation strategies to meet their specific needs. It gives African countries and the global community the tools to act, before it’s too late.”
The IUCN’s recognition lays the groundwork for new Red List assessments that will evaluate each giraffe species independently. Preliminary findings suggest that three of the four may already qualify as threatened, due to dramatic population declines and ongoing habitat fragmentation.
“This announcement will surprise many – how could we have overlooked something so fundamental?” said Fennessy. “But it underscores the importance of combining fieldwork with genetics to drive real-world conservation outcomes.”
With giraffe populations overall having declined by nearly 30% in the past 30 years, conservationists hope that species-level recognition will spark greater international attention and funding.
