taxonID	type	description	language	source
039F7D71A96EAD1F0CA3FDEC70DCD83D.taxon	diagnosis	• Large ruminants with pair of horn-like protuberances called ossicones on the skull, characteristically long neck, and long, slender limbs. • 200 - 500 cm. • Afrotropical Region. • Savanna woodland and dense rainforest.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96EAD1F0CA3FDEC70DCD83D.taxon	description	• 2 genera, 2 species, 10 taxa. • No species threatened; none Extinct since 1600.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	materials_examined	Sennar, Sudan.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	discussion	It appears from genetic studies that Giraffes fall into three groups: West African Giraffes (peralta); North African Giraffes (antiguorum, reticulata, rothschildi, thornicrofti, and probably camelopardalis); and southern African Giraffes (angolensis and guraffa). The “ Masai Giraffe, ” tippelskirchi, exhibits similarities with both the southern and the northern groups. Genetic differences, ranging from 0 - 15 % to 6 - 9 %, are below those required for the establishment of distinct species. Nine regional variants are currently recognized as subspecies, all of which interbreed.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	distribution	Subspecies and Distribution. G. c. camelopardalisLinnaeus, 1758 — ESudanandWEthiopia. G. c. angolensisLydekkcr, 1903 - NNamibia, SZambia, NBotswana, andNWZimbabwe. G. c. antiquorumJardine, 1835 - SChad, Genua] AfricanRepublic, andNEDRCongo. G. c. giraffaSchreber. 1784 - SWMozambique, SZimbabwe, andSouthAfrica. G. c. peraltaThomas, 1898 - WAfrica. G. c. reticulataDeWinton, 1899 - SEthiopia, SWSomalia, andNKenya. G. c. rothschildiLydekker, 1903 - SSudan. NUganda, andWKenya. G. c. tippelskirchiMatschie, 1898 - SKenyaandTanzania. G. c. thornicrofti Lydekker, 1911 - Zambia (Luangwa Valley).	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	description	Descriptive notes. Head-body 350 - 480 cm, tail 76 - 110 cm, height to the crown 450 - 600 cm; weight 1800 - 1930 kg (males) and 450 - 1180 kg (females). Adult males are larger than females. Colored hair patches are separated by yellow-white bands and vary in the regional variants. Patches contain large active sweat glands and a unique arrangement of blood vessels, suggesting they act as thermal windows through which to dissipate heat. Pigmentation of the skin is uniformly dark gray. The extraordinary shape results from elongation of the neck skeleton and of the lower leg bones. Elongation of the legs is associated with thickening of the bone wall to provide strength and of the neck by uniform lengthening of all seven cervical vertebrae. Elongation of the skeleton is rapid and demands the accumulation of large amounts of calcium and phosphorus. Giraffe anatomy has necessitated physiological adaptations; e. g. systemic blood pressure is twice that for similar sized mammals. The cells of the left ventricular and interventricular walls of the heart are enlarged, their thickness linearly related to neck length. Simultaneous enlargement of artery and arteriole walls provides resistance to blood flow. This appears to be a coordinated reflex response that maintains blood flow to the brain to protect Giraffes from fainting when they raise their heads after drinking, and to prevent peripheral oedema in the legs. Valves in the jugular vein prevent regurgitation of blood returning to the heart into the jugular vein. The long trachea is significantly narrower than in similar-sized mammals, limiting increases in dead space. Giraffe skulls feature paired subconical ossicones, which resemble short, blunt horns, arising from the top of the brain case. Female skulls are smoother and lighter than those of males. Bulls may have another median horn, which is a male secondary sexual characteristic, arising from the forehead between the eyes.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Giraffes are thought to have coevolved with acacia trees in savanna biomes throughout Africa but their occurrence is now discontinuous. They have never occurred in the tropical rain forest of the Congo River Basin.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	food_feeding	Food and Feeding. Exclusively browsers of dicotyledons, their preferred browse is mainly various species of Acacia. Four species of Acacia and four species of Combretum predominate in their diet, as these are rich in protein and calcium to support growth of their large skeleton. Bulls browse at higher levels than cows. Giraffes are water dependent but can survive for long periods without drinking water, obtaining their daily water needs from succulent browse. Giraffids are foliovores, selecting succulent foliage, and have an efficient digestive system compared to that of grazers, which eat monocotiyledons. The Giraffe stomach is half the size of that of African buffalo (Syncerus sp.).	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	breeding	Breeding. Giraffes are aseasonal breeders. Females become sexually mature at 4 - 5 years of age. Gestation lasts about 450 days; birth mass is around 100 kg. At birth shoulder height is 1 - 50 - 1 - 80 m. Calves are precocial, seeking the first suckle within an hour of birth. Calves lie isolated for up to three weeks. Lactation lasts for around twelve months. Calf mortality rate is up to 75 % in the first year. In captivity Giraffes can live to 36 years of age. Bulls reach sexual maturity at 2 - 5 — 4 years of age but need to pass a behavioral threshold in the wild to compete with mature bulls.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	activity	Activity patterns. Giraffes rest in the shade during the hottest time of day. Males orient their bodies towards the sun depending on whether they need to reduce or gain radiant heat, but females and calves select shade. They bend their heads backwards towards the body during deep sleep. They gallop in an ungainly manner, swinging the two legs on each side in unison.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	biology_ecology	Movements, Home range and Social organization. Giraffes are mainly diurnal, and most active hours are spent feeding. Their gait is unusual in that both legs on one side swing in unison making their walk ungainly. Their maximum speed is about 56 km / h, and they can jump fences 1 - 5 m high. Giraffes are not territorial and home ranges vary from 25 km? to 160 km?. Major rivers are barriers, as Giraffes cannot swim and do not easily cross flowing rivers. Strong social bonds are lacking, and herds, mostly of females and their young, rarely consist of the same individuals for more than a few days.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1D0D12FE207077DB5B.taxon	conservation	Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Giraffes were provisionally classified as not threatened by IUCN, as the population in the wild consisted of at least 100,000 individuals and their distribution was widespread. However the West African subspecies peralta is now classified as Endangered, its numbers and range having fallen sharply. Previously its range was from Senegal to Lake Chad, but currently the only viable surviving population in this entire area consists ofless than 200 individuals in south-western Niger, with a range of about 15,000 km? Recent population estimates indicate a downward trend in numbers, which might eventually result in a different category. Some populations remain stable, some are increasing, and others are decreasing. Further studies aimed at resolving the taxonomic status of the various subspecies and populations will also allow better assessment of conservation status. In southern Africa, Giraffe has been reintroduced to many parts of the range from which they were previously eliminated, and it has been introduced into Swaziland.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	materials_examined	forests along Semliki River, Mundala, Democratic Republic of Congo.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	discussion	This species is monotypic.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Okapis are endemic to the rain forests of the N & NE DR Congo, and the Ituri forest in particular.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	description	Descriptive notes. Head-body 200 - 210 cm, tail 30 - 42 cm, height from the sole of the forefoot to the crown at maturity 180 cm and to the shoulder 150 — 170 cm; weight 180 - 320 kg. Cows are noticeably taller and more massive than bulls, weighing upward of 270 kg. Almost nothing is known of Okapi anatomy and physiology. The body shape resembles that of the Giraffe, except that Okapis have much shorter necks. The pelage is dark brown-purplish on the body, with black muzzle and white to yellow stripes on the rump and forelegs. The forehead and large ears are chestnut in color. The lower legs are white with dark garters at the joints. Stripes are specific to each individual and are thoughtto help calves follow their mothers through dense rain forests, and also to break up the outline of their body, creating camouflage in the light and shade of the forest understory. With age stripes become more clear and distinct. The hair is short and oily, enabling waterproofing in a damp forest environment. The mane hairs are 4 cm long and extend from the back of the head to the rump. The tail is brown, with hair reaching almost to the hocks. There are small glands containing a waxy excretion on the front of each foot. The forefeet are used for stomping. The Okapi’s rightful place within the Giraffidae is affirmed by the skin-covered ossicones (horns) in males and the bilobate canine teeth. Males have two ossicones, which develop at 1 - 5 years of age and grow to be 10 - 15 cm long; females are hornless. As in Giraffes, as the ossicones develop they fuse with the frontal bones of the skull, a process that takes up to three years. The tips of the horns become bare of skin with time. The Okapi’s eyes are situated more laterally than in Giraffes, affording a broad field of vision, and are smaller, suggesting poorer visual acuity. At birth, calves’ eyes are surrounded by a starburst pattern, making the eyes appear larger. Hearing is exceptionally acute; the ears are large. There is a distinct nasal septum separating the nostrils. The Okapi muzzle and tongue are longer than the Giraffe’s; the pointed, black tongue is so long (up to 30 cm) that an Okapi can wash its eyelids and clean its ears. As in Giraffes, the tongue is prehensile and used for plucking tree leaves as well as grooming.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat. Okapis have been able to occupy closed forest in primary or older secondary forest types. Although preferring elevations of 500 - 1000 m, they may be found as high as 1500 m in the eastern montane rainforests. Their range is limited to the high forests in the east, the swamp forests below 500 m to the west, savannah of the Sahel / Sudan to the north, and open woodlands to the south. They do not occupy gallery forests or the forest islands on the savanna ecotone, nor are they to be found in the disturbed habitats surrounding larger forest settlements. They will use seasonally inundated areas while the substrate is still wet, but they do not occur in truly inundated sites or in extensive swamp forest. Tree fall gaps are their preferred foraging sites during the primary stages of regeneration.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	food_feeding	Food and Feeding. Mature dicotyledonous browse dominates the diet of this folivorous ruminant. Okapis browse well over a hundred different species of plants of which twenty are favored, including Scaphopetalum dewevrei, Drypetes sp., and Diospyros bipendensis. They forage along well-trodden paths through the forests. They feed in small tree-fall gaps and on the edges of blowdowns. They browse by twining their long prehensile tongues around branchlets, stripping the leaves and pulling them into the mouth. They walk slowly, with a gait similar to that of the Giraffe’s, sampling leaves from right and left from palatable shrubs. They do not feed on herbaceous monocotyledons, some of which are important in the diets of chimpanzees (Pan spp.) and gorillas (Gorillaspp.), and they do not compete for browse with the relatively few other occupants of their forest biome. Duikers (Cephalophus spp.) and Water Chevrotains (Hyemoschus aquaticus) favor fallen fruits and seeds; Bongos (Tragelaphus eurycerus), African buffaloes (Syncerus spp.), sitatungas (Tragelaphus spp.), Giant Forest Hogs (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni), Bush Pigs (Potamochoerus porcus), and African Forest Elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) all feed on foliage from canopy trees in sunlit clearings and swampy openings. Distribution of the Okapi’s food plants favors dispersed rather than congregated foraging. Nowhere is the forage abundant enough to support a herd, nor do the Okapis converge on seasonally-varying food sources, as there is continuous growth of new leaves. Females occupy forest areas that are richest in their favored food plants. There is a greater density of suitable browse in tree-fall gaps, as indicated by a change in locomotion of Okapi when feeding in gaps. When browsing in the subcanopy, their gait is steady, whereas when feeding in a tree-fall gap they walk more slowly, frequently pausing to feed on several plants from one position. Under the canopy and in gaps Okapis are selective browsers, eating only a small proportion of the species present and focussing on the youngest leaves. Food supply in the Ituri forest is patchy and variable in quality and distribution. Okapis exhibit geophagia, ingesting dirt in search of minerals.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	breeding	Breeding. Male courtship is unobtrusive and cautious. Males may take the better part of a day to approach a female with overtures that include low, moaning calls. Cows may associate with two different bulls over several days. Following a gestation of 14 months, a single calf is born between August and October, and weaned after six months. Females become sexually mature at two years of age and males later, because like most ungulates in the wild, they have to become behaviorally mature to secure mating rights. The behavior of an individual female through the reproductive cycle and gestation does not change markedly. However, after parturition a considerable portion of the day is spent feeding, moving back and forth across the home range. The female travels some distance from the calf, which is hidden, visiting it a few times a day for only a few minutes each time. Calves have been observed allosuckling. A calf remains bonded with its mother for nine months. Calves make a wide range of noises, including coughs, bleats, and whistles. Males are not restricted to areas of food abundance and spend more time roaming in forest zones where palatable leaves are sparse, perhaps in an attempt to gain access to more females.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	activity	Activity patterns. Okapis are primarily diurnal and are essentially solitary, only associating to breed, except for mother — offspring pairs. Okapis are vulnerable to Leopard (Panthera pardus) attacks, several animals having been killed by Leopards during the course of one field study. Estimated population densities vary from 0 - 8 ind / km? to 2 - 3 ind / km?.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	biology_ecology	Movements, Home range and Social organization. Okapis have well-defined home ranges, the most stable of which belong to reproductive females and are in the range of 3 - 23 - 6 - 5 km *. Adult females have exclusive use of a territory except when nursing young. Males make brief incursions to mate. Young animals of both sexes have more restricted home ranges, overlapping with their mothers’, but eventually they emigrate. Adult males cover larger areas, sometimes more than 13 km? Males and females mark trees with an oily secretion from their skin and defecate in selected areas. They have overlapping home ranges of several square kilometres and typically occur at densities of about 1 ind / km? ®. They have several methods of communicating, including pheromones from the scent glands on each foot, which leave behind a tar-like substance to signal their passage. They also mark with urine. Males defend territories. Okapis solicit allogrooming of body areas they cannot reach to groom themselves.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
039F7D71A96CAD1C081CF80D7046DAD4.taxon	conservation	Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. The Okapi was unknown to Europeans until 1901. Although it has been estimated that there are around 10,000 - 20,000 individuals in the wild, this estimate is likely to be optimistic because they are shy and rarely seen. The most numerous populations of Okapi are found in the Ituri / Aruwimi and adjacent Nepoko Basin forests, and the forests of the upper Lindi, Maiko and Tshopo Basins. The species is also present in the Rubi-Tele region in Bas Uele. It was once present in the Semliki Forest of Uganda, but appears not to have survived in this region. In Virunga National Park, DR Congo, the first official sighting since 1959 was made in 2006. As of 2010, about 160 specimens are on display in some 40 zoological gardens. The name Okapi combines two words in the Congolese Lese Karo dialect, “ Oka, ” meaning to cut, and “ kpi, ” which refers to the design made on Efé arrows by wrapping the arrows with bark, making the arrows striped when they are scorched by fire. Lese legend has it that the Okapi’s stripes add to the animal’s great camouflage. The specific epithet, johnstoni, recognizes the explorer Sir Harry Johnston, who organized the expedition thatfirst acquired an Okapi from the [turi forest. Accurate population assessments are difficult in the dense forests. The future of Okapis depends on preservation of their habitat, especially the Ituri forest, an unlikely prospect given the political instability of that region.	en	Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (2011): Giraffidae. In: Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions: 788-802, ISBN: 978-84-96553-77-4, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719821
