title: How many species of giraffe are there?
abstract: In a recent paper in Current Biology, Fennessy and colleagues [1] conclude that there are four species of giraffe and that their numbers are declining in Africa. Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are presently classified as one species, with nine subspecies, which are considered 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List [2]. The present consensus of one species divided into nine subspecies has previously been questioned (Supplemental information), and Fennessy and colleagues [1] provide another viewpoint on giraffe taxonomy. The fundamental reason for different taxonomic interpretations is that they are based upon different datasets that adopt different statistical techniques and follow different criteria for nomenclature.
authors.affiliation: Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan; Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa; IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group. Electronic address: Bercovitch.fred.2u@kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Fred B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Bercovitch
authors.affiliation: P. O. Box 33, Mfuwe, Zambia.
authors.forename: Philip S M
authors.initials: PSM
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group; Department of Independent Studies, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dagg
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa; IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group.
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Deacon
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group; Reticulated Giraffe Project, Nairobi, Kenya; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group; Wild Nature Institute, Hanover, NH, USA.
authors.forename: Derek E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Reticulated Giraffe Project, Nairobi, Kenya; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mineur
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group; Giraffe Research and Conservation Trust, Nairobi, Kenya; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Zoe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ogden
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group; Reticulated Giraffe Project, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seymour
authors.affiliation: Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, UK; Department of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shorrocks
authors.affiliation: IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tutchings
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D000068276:Giraffes