![]() Okapis are diurnal and live alone, in pairs, or in small family groups, but relatively little is known about their social structure, largely because of their remote habitat and timid nature. The okapi is now endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa, where they inhabit dense damp forests on both sides of the Congo River. At least 2000 giraffes are maintained in captivity, making the captive population self-sustaining.ĭiscovered by science only as recently as 1901, the okapi was the last large African mammal species to be described. With an estimated 80,000 animals left in the wild, the giraffe is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a species “Of Least Concern.” However, several of the subspecies are now considered “Endangered” (e.g., West African and Rothschild). Subadult males are social, whereas mature males become more solitary. Giraffes are sociable animals usually found in dynamic, ever-changing groups, the most stable of which are those composed by mothers and their young. Adult giraffes are rarely preyed upon by predators, but calf mortality is high. ![]() Once widespread across the African continent, giraffes are now largely confined to national parks and game farms in eastern and southern Africa, with scattered populations in west Africa.īecause of its height, the giraffe has access to browse unavailable to other species and thus may coexist with grazers and smaller browsers and even livestock. rothschildi), and the Masai giraffe ( G.c. The subspecies most commonly held by zoos are the reticulated giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata), the Rothschild giraffe ( G.c. ![]() Up to nine races or subspecies of giraffe have been described, although genetic research and the fact that distinct morphologic distinctions between groupings exist despite the lack of physical boundaries have led some authorities to consider several distinct species. Giraffids first arose eight million years ago during the Miocene period, and fossil evidence suggests that the family was once much more extensive, with over 10 fossil genera described. Two species exist within the artiodactylid family of Giraffidae the giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis) and the okapi ( Okapia johnstoni).
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