Everyday around the world there are news finding, this time appeared in the journal Current Biology, highlighting the need for further studies of the four genetically isolated species, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, which was part of the research.
ntil now, the gentle African mammals were all classified under the Giraffa camelopardalis species. According to (Cnn)
The new study puts them under four species that include the northern giraffe, southern giraffe, reticulated giraffe and Masai giraffe.
"The genetic analysis shows that there are four highly distinct groups of giraffe, which apparently do not mate with each other in the wild," the conservation group said. "As a result, they ... should be recognized as four distinct species."
However, while giraffes have not made headlines for their risk of extinction, their numbers have plummeted over the past three decades, from more than 150,000 to fewer than 100,000, according to the conservation group.
The new discovery will help shed light on the numbers for each species and help scientists focus on targeted conservation efforts.
Even the numbers for some of the newly-discovered species already look grim. Of the about 100,000 left, only 4,750 are northern giraffes and 8,700 are reticulated giraffes, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation said.
Fuente: edition.cnn.com
