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A Cape Giraffe, taken in the Eastern Cape, South Africa in June 2016

The giraffe is the largest living terrestrial and ruminant animal. The genus currently consists of one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with seven other species being extinct[1]. However, the IUCN currently recognizes 9 subspecies[2][3] Giraffes are known and recognized by their long neck and legs, as well as their distinctive coat pattern [4][5]. They are found in the African continent as North as Chad and as South as South Africa, and as East as Somalia and West as Niger[6]. There is an estimated total of 90,000 giraffes in the wild currently, with 1,144 in captivity[7][8].

The diet of all giraffes consists mainly of leaves, and fruits and flowers of woody plants[9] that are dispersed throughout the savannahs and woodlands the giraffes inhabit [10]. Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs are the natural predators of giraffes[11]. They are gregarious by nature, living in herds of related females and their offspring [12], while the males form their own bachelor herds [13]. Within the bachelor herds, males establish social hierarchies through bouts of combat referred to as necking. The animals use their necks as a weapon, with the winner gaining mating access to females[14].

For further information, visit giraffes.

Recently, a pair of white giraffes was spotted in Kenya, near a conservation area. White giraffes are rarely spotted in the wild, with only two previous sighting having been confirmed – one in Kenya, and one in Tanzania [15]. Typically, reports of atypically coloured giraffes encompass either a brown individual born without spots [16] or white individuals that are often thought to be albino [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. The two conditions are similar in that they result in white in color individual. However, albinism is a congenital disorder that compromises the production of melatonin and results in the individual having red eyes. Leucism, on the other hand, results in only a partial loss of pigmentation and often does not affect the eyes [29]. Although often mistaken for albinism, the two are different conditions and can be distinguished by observing the eye color of the individual and whether or not the animal has retained its species-specific coat pattern[30][31].

Albinism

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Albinism is an inherited genetic condition that reduces the production of melanin pigment the body produces. Its effects are most noticeable in the skin, hair, and/or eyes [32]. It can occur in every animal species, as they all make melanin. However, animals with albinism fair poor in the wild as they lost their ability to easily fit in with their surroundings. Albinism is observed in about one of every 1000 mammal births[33].

For more information, visit Albinism.

Leucism

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Unlike albinism, where no melanin is produced, leucism is caused by reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin. It results in either the entire surface or patches of body surface lacking cells that are capable of making pigment. A more common form of leucism is localized or incomplete hypopigmentation. It results in irregular patches of white on an animal but does not affect the rest of the coloring. It is often referred to as the “piebald” effect. Genes that caused leucism when mutated include c-kit [34], mitf [35], and EDNRB[36].

For more information, visit leucism.

  1. ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  2. ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturæ.
  3. ^ "Giraffa camelopardalis (Giraffe)". www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  4. ^ The encyclopedia of mammals. Macdonald, David W. (David Whyte). New York: Barnes & Noble Books. 2001. ISBN 0760719691. OCLC 48048972.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ "Giraffa camelopardalis (giraffe)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  6. ^ Brown, David M.; Brenneman, Rick A.; Koepfli, Klaus-Peter; Pollinger, John P.; Milá, Borja; Georgiadis, Nicholas J.; Louis, Edward E.; Grether, Gregory F.; Jacobs, David K. (2007-12-21). "Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe". BMC Biology. 5: 57. doi:10.1186/1741-7007-5-57. ISSN 1741-7007. PMC 2254591. PMID 18154651.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  7. ^ Fennessy, Julian; Bidon, Tobias; Reuss, Friederike; Kumar, Vikas; Elkan, Paul; Nilsson, Maria A.; Vamberger, Melita; Fritz, Uwe; Janke, Axel (2016). "Multi-locus Analyses Reveal Four Giraffe Species Instead of One". Current Biology. 26 (18): 2543–2549. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.036. PMID 27618261. S2CID 3991170.
  8. ^ "FAQs - GiraffeConservation.org". GiraffeConservation.org. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  9. ^ Jonathan., Kingdon (1989). East African mammals : an atlas of evolution in Africa. Vol. 3, pt. B, (Large mammals). Chicago: University of Chicago. ISBN 0226437221. OCLC 315281900.
  10. ^ Jonathan., Kingdon (1989). East African mammals : an atlas of evolution in Africa. Vol. 3, pt. B, (Large mammals). Chicago: University of Chicago. ISBN 0226437221. OCLC 315281900.
  11. ^ R., Prothero, Donald (2002). Horns, tusks, and flippers : the evolution of hoofed mammals. Schoch, Robert M. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9780801871351. OCLC 49681344.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Pratt, David M.; Anderson, Virginia H. (1985-08-01). "Giraffe social behaviour". Journal of Natural History. 19 (4): 771–781. doi:10.1080/00222938500770471. ISSN 0022-2933.
  13. ^ VanderWaal, Kimberly L.; Wang, Hui; McCowan, Brenda; Fushing, Hsieh; Isbell, Lynne A. (2014-01-01). "Multilevel social organization and space use in reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)". Behavioral Ecology. 25 (1): 17–26. doi:10.1093/beheco/art061. ISSN 1045-2249.
  14. ^ Simmons, Robert E.; Scheepers, Lue (1996-11-01). "Winning by a Neck: Sexual Selection in the Evolution of Giraffe". The American Naturalist. 148 (5): 771–786. doi:10.1086/285955. ISSN 0003-0147. S2CID 84406669.
  15. ^ Johnson, Thomas (2017-09-14). "Rare white giraffes spotted in Kenya". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  16. ^ Innis., Dagg, Anne (23 January 2014). Giraffe : biology, behaviour and conservation. New York. ISBN 9781107034860. OCLC 863632201.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Butler, A.I. (1912). "A White Giraffe". Field. 119: 596.
  18. ^ Douglas, Oliver (1928). Three Boy Scouts in Africa: On Safari with Martin Johnson. Kessinger Publishing.
  19. ^ "Pictures: Rare White Giraffe and Other Unusually Pale Animals". 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  20. ^ McDougall, D.S.A. (1939). "A white Giraffe". Field. 174: 1003.
  21. ^ Goodwin, G.G. (1956). "Nature's skyscrapers". Animal Kingdom. 59: 66–73.
  22. ^ Bere, R. (1958). "The status of ungulate mammals in the Uganda national parks". Mammalia. 22: 418–426.
  23. ^ Turner, M. (1969). "Partial Albino Giraffe". Africana. 3: 45.
  24. ^ "Rare White Giraffe Photographed". Live Science. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  25. ^ "Archant - Inspiring Communities". www.wildlifeextra.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  26. ^ "Omo the white giraffe spotted in Tanzanian national park". Global News. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  27. ^ "Wildlife of Kruger National Park - Rhino Post Safari Lodge". Rhino Post Safari Lodge. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  28. ^ "Rare White Giraffe Photographed in Tanzania". Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  29. ^ Muller, Zoe (2017-03-01). "White giraffes: The first record of vitiligo in a wild adult giraffe". African Journal of Ecology. 55 (1): 118–123. doi:10.1111/aje.12323. ISSN 1365-2028.
  30. ^ Jehl, J.R. (1985). "Leucism in eared grebes in western North America". Condor. 87 (3): 439–441. doi:10.2307/1367236. JSTOR 1367236.
  31. ^ "Information Bulletin - What is Albinism? - NOAH - Albinism". www.albinism.org. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  32. ^ NOAH (2015). ". Information Bulletin – What is Abinism?". Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  33. ^ "How Albinism Works". HowStuffWorks. 2008-07-15. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  34. ^ Nicholas, Frank W (2005-07-29). "Animal breeding and disease". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 360 (1459): 1529–1536. doi:10.1098/rstb.2005.1674. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 1569506. PMID 16048793.
  35. ^ Yajima, I.; Sato, S.; Kimura, T.; Yasumoto, K.-i.; Shibahara, S.; Goding, C. R.; Yamamoto, H. (1999-08-01). "An L1 Element Intronic Insertion in the Black-Eyed White (Mitfmi-bw) Gene: The Loss of a Single Mitf Isoform Responsible for the Pigmentary Defect and Inner Ear Deafness". Human Molecular Genetics. 8 (8): 1431–1441. doi:10.1093/hmg/8.8.1431. ISSN 0964-6906. PMID 10400990.
  36. ^ Huret, Jean-Loup; Ahmad, Mohammad; Arsaban, Mélanie; Bernheim, Alain; Cigna, Jérémy; Desangles, François; Guignard, Jean-Christophe; Jacquemot-Perbal, Marie-Christine; Labarussias, Maureen (2013-1). "Atlas of Genetics and Cytogenetics in Oncology and Haematology in 2013". Nucleic Acids Research. 41 (Database issue): D920–D924. doi:10.1093/nar/gks1082. ISSN 0305-1048. PMC 3531131. PMID 23161685. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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