Pain in the neck

Giraffes have at least eleven genetically distinct populations, but how many species?

as if a long nexk weren't enough trouble... Not all giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are the same, according to a report published online today in BMC Biology. Despite large differences in pelage markings, ossicone (those antler-like thingys) number and mitochondrial variation, taxonomists have struggled to agree on how many species there are. Previous accounts have given one or two, broken up into several subspecies. However, UCLA biologist Robert Wayne and colleagues present genetic and phylogeographic evidence for the existence of at least six distinct African giraffe lineages, of which five contain genetically discrete populations. The conservation implications are profound: of the estimated 110000 wild giraffes left, only 100 belong to the West African clade, found in a single area of Niger. The current “Lower Risk” IUCN Red List classification needs looking at again: giraffe conservation just got trickier. Source: Brown DM, Brenneman RA, Koepfli K-P, Pollinger JP, Mila B, Georgiadis NJ, Louis EE Jr, Grether GF, Jacobs DK & Wayne RK (2007) Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe. BMC Biology DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-5-57