The giraffe (Giraffa) is a genus of African even-toed ungulate mammals, the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants.The genus currently consists of one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, the type species.Seven other species are extinct, prehistoric species known from fossils. Sister taxa: Giraffa camelopardalis, Giraffa hagenbecki, Giraffa infumata, Giraffa pomeli, Giraffa priscilla, Giraffa punjabiensis, Giraffa pygmaea, Giraffa sivalensis, Giraffa stillei Ecology: ground dwelling browser Females are usually a few feet shorter than the male. But are there any giraffe characteristics that not many people know about? This includes Giraffa camelopardalis, Giraffa sivalensis, Giraffa jumae, Giraffa pygmaea, Giraffa stillei and Giraffa gracilis. By the start of the Pleistocene around 2 million years ago, at least seven species of giraffids browsed on the plains of Africa and Asia. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. Adult giraffes range from 14 to 19 feet tall. The giraffe shares this number with dogs, cats, mice and even human beings.

One of the unusual characteristics of the giraffe is that it has the same number of vertebrae in its neck as any other mammal, which is seven. Its species name refers to its camel-like shape and its leopard-like coloring. Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals; males (bulls) may exceed 5.5 metres (18 feet) in height, and the tallest females (cows) are about 4.5 metres. Male giraffes can be 16-18 feet tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. The holotype is an almost perfectly preserved cervical vertebra of disputed anatomical location.


2–3 Ma), Koobi Fora and Rawi of Kenya, and Olduvai of Tanzania (2 Ma) [ 19 ]. The giraffe (Giraffa) is a genus of African even-toed ungulate mammals, the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants.The genus currently consists of one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, the type species.Seven other species are extinct, prehistoric species known from fossils. However, over time the family dwindled.

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. There’s no taller animal on Earth than the giraffe: A full-grown male, or bull, may stand 18 feet above the ground. Giraffe, (genus Giraffa), any of four species in the genus Giraffa of long-necked cud-chewing hoofed mammals of Africa, with long legs and a coat pattern of irregular brown patches on a light background. PaleoDB taxon number: 133599. Giraffa jumae is an extinct species of even-toed ungulate in the Giraffidae family.The species ranged from Malawi to Chad with a possible occurrence of the species or a closely related species found in Turkey.The type specimen was discovered during trenching excavations on the upper member of the Rawi Formation by Louis Leakey in the 1930s. The extant animal is found throughout Africa, and fossils are known primarily from the Upper Siwaliks of Pakistan (approx. Giraffa sivalensis occurred during the Plio-Pleistocene period and probably represents the terminal species of the genus in Southern Asia.

The oldest post-cranial Giraffa material belongs to the Plio-Pleistocene taxon Giraffa sivalensis, where the holotype is a third cervical vertebra. Physical Characteristics. This includes Giraffa camelopardalis, Giraffa sivalensis, Giraffa jumae, Giraffa pygmaea, Giraffa stillei and Giraffa gracilis. The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. Typically, females are lighter than males and about 2 feet shorter. †Giraffa jumae Leakey 1967 (giraffe) Mammalia - Artiodactyla - Giraffidae. The extant animal is found throughout Africa, and fossils are known primarily from the Upper Siwaliks of Pakistan (approx.