Three other species of giraffe that were thought previously, say scientists

Giraffes are one of the most distinct and appreciated creatures in the world, always considered a single species.

But now, scientists from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature say that we can accommodate three other species of the largest mammal in the world.

This is not the first time that researchers have suggested that there have been four species of these giants that walk on our planet, but the last evaluation has put an official stamp.

How did scientists have worked? And what does this mean for the future of the animal?

Scientists compared the size of the skull and the shape of the head of different giraffes and concluded that there was enough genetic diversity for four groups to be considered as different species.

The researchers examined natural characteristics through Africa such as deserts, rivers and valleys that could have separated animals in the past, which means that they have evolved separately from each other.

Say hello to the southern giraffe, one of the newly recognized species.

This giraffe lives in Angola, south of Botswana, Namibia, south of Zimbabwe, Zambia and southwest Mozambique.

Two rivers (Kunene and Zambezi) and tropical forests in the Congo basin probably separated the animals from overlapping with other giraffes.

The second new species is the reticulated giraffe.

This giraffe lives in open savannas and wooded meadows of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.

Scientists believe that the Tana river, the mountains and the cities of Ethiopia have separated this animal from other giraffes in the north of the region.

He is also a migrant animal, which means that he may have gone through other giraffes when he could have crossed.

The third species that we can officially recognize is the northern giraffe.

This animal lives in western Ethiopia, the center and western Kenya, east of South Sudan and Uganda.

Scientists say that the Nile and Lake Victoria, as well as its migration model, separated this giraffe from others.

The fourth and last species is the beautiful Masai giraffe, with its distinctive skin of the leaves.

He lives in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, separated from the northern giraffe by Lake Victoria and the Nile.

Although its scheme gives the impression that it could be a marker to be a distinct species, scientists say that skins vary even in a population of giraffes and as animals age.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says that the identification of genetic difference is “vital” for the conservation and management of giraffes.

“The more precisely we understand the taxonomy of the giraffe, the better we are equipped to assess their status and implement effective conservation strategies,” said the co-author of the Michael Brown report of the IUCN.

As a single species, the giraffe was classified as vulnerable to extinction, although some of the subspecies increased in number.

The IUCN will now revolve the vulnerability of the four new species and their subspecies and says that it hopes to better protect majestic animals with new information.