The long-held assumption that the giraffe is a single species may be incorrect, says a new study in the journal BMC Biology. Researchers may have identified at least six separate species. Unfortunately, that means that “some of these giraffe populations number only a few hundred individuals and need immediate protection,” says lead author David Brown. “Lumping all giraffes into one species obscures the reality that some kinds of giraffe are on the very brink.”
