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'{{short description|Species of giraffe}} {{Speciesbox | name = Masai giraffe | image = Mannetjes masaigiraffe in de Serengeti, Tanzania, -12 januari 2013 a.jpg | image_caption = A Masai giraffe in Serengeti, Tanzania | status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name = iucn/> | taxon = Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi | authority = ([[Paul Matschie|Matschie]], 1898) | range_map = Giraffa_camelopardalis_subspecies_map.jpg | range_map_caption = Range map in blue | synonyms = ''Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi'' }} The '''Masai giraffe''' (''Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi'' or ''G. tippelskirchi''), also spelled '''Maasai giraffe''', and sometimes called '''Kilimanjaro giraffe''', is one of the nine subspecies of [[giraffe]]. It is native to [[East Africa]]. The Masai giraffe can be found in central and southern [[Kenya]] and in [[Tanzania]]. It has distinctive, irregular, jagged, star-like blotches that extend from the hooves to its head. The Masai giraffe is currently the national animal of Tanzania.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Adam Scott |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/873760148 |title=Animals of the Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Conservation Area |date=2014 |others=Vicki Kennedy |isbn=1-4008-5138-6 |location=Princeton, New Jersey |oclc=873760148}}</ref> ==Taxonomy== The IUCN currently recognizes only one species of giraffe with nine subspecies<ref name = iucn>{{Cite iucn|last1= Bolger|first1= D.|last2= Ogutu|first2= J.|last3= Strauss|first3= M.|last4= Lee|first4= D.|last5= Muneza|first5= A.|last6= Fennessy|first6= J.|last7= Brown|first7= D.|year=2019|title=Giraffa camelopardalis ssp. tippelskirchi|journal=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|volume= 2019|page= e.T88421036A88421121|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T88421036A88421121.en|url= https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/88421036/88421121|access-date= 14 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=IUCN|title=Giraffa camelopardalis: Muller, Z., Bercovitch, F., Brand, R., Brown, D., Brown, M., Bolger, D., Carter, K., Deacon, F., Doherty, J.B., Fennessy, J., Fennessy, S., Hussein, A.A., Lee, D., Marais, A., Strauss, M., Tutchings, A. & Wube, T.|journal=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|doi=10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-3.rlts.t9194a51140239.en|year=2016}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Bercovitch|first1=Fred B.|last2=Berry|first2=Philip S. M.|last3=Dagg|first3=Anne|last4=Deacon|first4=Francois|last5=Doherty|first5=John B.|last6=Lee|first6=Derek E.|last7=Mineur|first7=Frédéric|last8=Muller|first8=Zoe|last9=Ogden|first9=Rob|date=2017-02-20|title=How many species of giraffe are there?|journal=Current Biology|language=en|volume=27|issue=4|pages=R136–R137|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2016.12.039|issn=0960-9822|pmid=28222287|doi-access=free}}</ref> The Masai giraffe was [[Species description|described]] and given the [[binomial name]] ''Giraffa tippelskirchi'' by [[German people|German]] [[zoologist]] [[Paul Matschie]] in 1898, but current taxonomy refers to Masai giraffe as ''Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi''. The Masai giraffe was named in honor of Herr von Tippelskirch who was a member of a German scientific expedition in [[German East Africa]] to what is now northern Tanzania in 1896. Tippelskirch brought back the skin of a female Masai giraffe from near [[Lake Eyasi]] which was later on identified as ''Giraffa tippelskirchi''. Alternative taxonomic hypotheses have proposed Masai giraffe may be its own species.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Petzold|first1=Alice|last2=Hassanin|first2=Alexandre|date=2020-02-13|title=A comparative approach for species delimitation based on multiple methods of multi-locus DNA sequence analysis: A case study of the genus Giraffa (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla)|journal=PLOS ONE|language=en|volume=15|issue=2|pages=e0217956|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0217956|pmid=32053589|pmc=7018015|issn=1932-6203|doi-access=free}}</ref> ==Description== The Masai giraffe is distinguished by jagged and irregular spots on its body. Its geographic range includes various parts of central, eastern, and southern Africa.<ref name="Dagg" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Brown|first1=David M.|last2=Brenneman|first2=Rick A.|last3=Koepfli|first3=Klaus-Peter|last4=Pollinger|first4=John P.|last5=Milá|first5=Borja|last6=Georgiadis|first6=Nicholas J.|last7=Louis|first7=Edward E.|last8=Grether|first8=Gregory F.|last9=Jacobs|first9=David K.|date=2007-12-21|title=Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe|journal=BMC Biology|volume=5|issue=1|pages=57|doi=10.1186/1741-7007-5-57|issn=1741-7007|pmc=2254591|pmid=18154651}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite journal|year=2016|title=Multi-locus Analyses Reveal Four Giraffe Species Instead of One|journal=Current Biology|volume=26|issue=18|pages=2543–2549|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.036|pmid=27618261|author1=Fennessy J.|author2=Bidon T.|author3=Reuss F.|author4=Kumar V.|author5=Elkan P.|author6=Nilsson M.A.|author7=Vamberger M.|author8=Fritz U.|author9=Janke A.|doi-access=free}}</ref> It is the largest-bodied giraffe species, making it the tallest land animal on Earth.<ref name="Dagg">{{cite book|title=The Giraffe. Its Biology, Behavior, and Ecology (with updated supplementary material)|last2=Foster|first2=J. B.|publisher=Krieger Publishing Company|year=1982|location=Malabar, Florida|last1=Dagg|first1=A.I.|author1-link=Anne Innis Dagg}}</ref> Bulls are generally larger and heavier than females, weighing close to 1300 kilograms and growing up to 5 and a half meters in height. In the wild, individuals can live to be around 25 years of age, and in most cases can live longer in captivity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-14 |title=How long do giraffe live? - Giraffe Conservation Foundation |url=https://giraffeconservation.org/facts/how-long-do-giraffe-live/ |access-date=2022-05-02 |language=en-AU}}</ref> The giraffes most famous feature, its neck, contains seven [[Vertebra|vertebrae]] and makes up roughly one third of its body height. Its long and muscular tongue, which can be up to 50 centimeters in length, is prehensile and allows it to grab leaves from tall trees that are inaccessible to other animals. The tongues darker pigment is believed to function as a natural sunscreen and prevent sunburn. On top of the head sit two bony structures called [[Ossicone|ossicones]] which are covered by thick skin and have dark hair on the tips. These can be used during fights to club its opponent. Bulls usually have an extra ossicone present that is located on their head in between the eyes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Edgar Mark |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/587198932 |title=Giraffe |date=2010 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1-86189-764-0 |location=London |oclc=587198932}}</ref> Although considered lanky, when galloping they have been recorded to reach speeds of almost 40 miles per hour.<ref name=":4" /> ==Conservation== Masai giraffes are considered [[Vulnerable species|endangered]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]],<ref name="iucn" /> and the Masai giraffe population declined 52% in recent decades due to poaching and habitat loss. Overall, the approximate number of all populations accumulate to 32,550 in the wild. Demographic studies of wild giraffes living inside and outside protected areas suggest low adult survival outside protected areas due to poaching, and low calf survival inside protected areas due to predation are the primary influences on population growth rates.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Derek E.|last2=Bond|first2=Monica L.|last3=Kissui|first3=Bernard M.|last4=Kiwango|first4=Yustina A.|last5=Bolger|first5=Douglas T.|date=2016-05-11|title=Spatial variation in giraffe demography: a test of 2 paradigms|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|language=en|pages=1015–1025|doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyw086|issn=0022-2372|volume=97|issue=4|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.09721-9|title=Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences|last1=Lee|first1=D. E.|last2=Strauss|first2=M. K. L|date=2016-01-01|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=9780124095489}}</ref> Survival of giraffe calves is influenced by the season of birth,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Derek Edward|last2=Bond|first2=Monica Louise|last3=Bolger|first3=Douglas Thomas|date=2017-01-01|title=Season of birth affects juvenile survival of giraffe|journal=Population Ecology|language=en|volume=59|issue=1|pages=45–54|doi=10.1007/s10144-017-0571-8|s2cid=7611046|issn=1438-3896}}</ref> and the seasonal local presence or absence of long-distance migratory herds of wildebeest and zebra.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Derek E.|last2=Kissui|first2=Bernard M.|last3=Kiwango|first3=Yustina A.|last4=Bond|first4=Monica L.|date=2016|title=Migratory herds of wildebeests and zebras indirectly affect calf survival of giraffes|journal=Ecology and Evolution|volume=6|issue=23|language=en|pages=8402–8411|doi=10.1002/ece3.2561|pmid=28031792|pmc=5167056|issn=2045-7758}}</ref> Metapopulation analysis indicated protected areas were important for keeping giraffes in the larger landscape.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Derek E.|last2=Bolger|first2=Douglas T.|date=2017-05-05|title=Movements and source–sink dynamics of a Masai giraffe metapopulation|journal=Population Ecology|volume=59|issue=2|language=en|pages=157–168|doi=10.1007/s10144-017-0580-7|s2cid=24276021|issn=1438-3896}}</ref> ''In situ'' conservation of Masai giraffes is being done by several government agencies including [[Kenya Wildlife Service]], [[Tanzania National Parks Authority|Tanzania National Parks]], [[Zambia Wildlife Authority]]; and non-governmental organizations including PAMS Foundation, and [https://www.wildnatureinstitute.org/save-the-giraffe.html Wild Nature Institute]. [[Community-based natural resource management|Community-based wildlife conservation areas]] have also been shown to be effective at protecting giraffes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Derek E|last2=Bond|first2=Monica L|date=2018-02-26|title=Quantifying the ecological success of a community-based wildlife conservation area in Tanzania|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|language=en|volume=99|issue=2|pages=459–464|doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyy014|pmid=29867255|pmc=5965405|issn=0022-2372}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lee|first=Derek E.|date=2018-08-10|title=Evaluating conservation effectiveness in a Tanzanian community wildlife management area|journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management|volume=82|issue=8|pages=1767–1774|language=en|doi=10.1002/jwmg.21549|issn=0022-541X}}</ref> Over 100 Masai Giraffe currently live under human care in [[Association of Zoos and Aquariums|AZA]] accredited zoos in the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Monson |first=Michael L. |last2=Dennis |first2=Patricia M. |last3=Lukas |first3=Kristen E. |last4=Krynak |first4=Katherine L. |last5=Carrino-Kyker |first5=Sarah R. |last6=Burke |first6=David J. |last7=Schook |first7=Mandi W. |date=2018 |title=The effects of increased hay-to-grain ratio on behavior, metabolic health measures, and fecal bacterial communities in four Masai giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/zoo.21434 |journal=Zoo Biology |language=en |volume=37 |issue=5 |pages=320–331 |doi=10.1002/zoo.21434}}</ref> At several zoos, Masai giraffe cows have become pregnant and successfully given birth.<ref>Gregory, Kim Lamb (May 10, 2014). [http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/may/10/mothers-nature-in-the-animal-world/ "Mothers' nature in the animal world"] ''[[Ventura County Star]]''</ref> Masai giraffes have been known to suffer from giraffe skin disease (GSD) which is an undetermined disorder that etiologically causes lesion on the forelimbs of Masai giraffes. This disorder is being further investigated by scientists to better understand mortality rates in this species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lee |first=Derek E. |last2=Bond |first2=Monica L. |date=July 2016 |title=The Occurrence and Prevalence of Giraffe Skin Disease in Protected Areas of Northern Tanzania |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.7589/2015-09-247 |journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases |language=en |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages=753–755 |doi=10.7589/2015-09-247 |issn=0090-3558 |via=Science citation index}}</ref> ==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed"> File:Masai Giraffe, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania (2010).jpg|Masai giraffe in [[Serengeti National Park]], Tanzania File:Maasai Giraffe 07.JPG|Detail of head, taken at [[Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden]] File:Giraffes Mikumi National Park.jpg|Two Masai giraffes in [[Mikumi National Park]] File:Young Maasai Giraffes.jpg|Two week-old Masai giraffes in Serengeti, Tanzania File:Giraffe close up.jpg|Close up of giraffe face in [[Masai Mara]] File:Maasai Giraffe in the plains of Maasai Mara.jpg|Maasai Giraffe in the plain of Maasai Mara File:Male Maasai Giraffe.jpg|Male Maasai Giraffe </gallery> ==See also== * [[Maasai people]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Giraffa tippelskirchi|Masai giraffe}} * {{Wikispecies-inline|Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi|''Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi''}} {{Artiodactyla|R.}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q27497247}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Masai giraffe}} [[Category:Giraffes]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1898]] [[Category:Mammals of Kenya]] [[Category:Mammals of Tanzania]] [[Category:Fauna of East Africa]]'