Giraffes are divided into four distinct species, not just one, scientists discover

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Julian Fennessy, of Giraffe Conservation Foundation in Namibia, said: "With now four distinct species, the conservation status of each of these can be better defined. “As distinct species, it makes them some of the most endangered large mammals in the world.” The news of the four Giraffe species was revealed in the journal Current Biology with geneticists discovering there was at least as much differences in the DNA of the different types as there is between polar bears and brown bears, for example. Professor Axel Janke, of Goethe University, who helped carry out the research, said: "We were extremely surprised, because the morphological and coat pattern differences between giraffe are limited.” Previously it was assumed that giraffes all had the same ecological needs, but the fact there are four species instead of one means they each may have significantly different requirements. The tests were carried out after the Giraffe Conservation Foundation approached Professor Janke to find out whether past translocations of giraffe individuals had inadvertently mixed different species or subspecies as this could affect conservation efforts.