Giraffidae

The Giraffidae are a special group of animals that belong to the family of ruminant artiodactyl mammals. They share a common ancestor with deer and bovids. Long ago, this family was found all over Eurasia and Africa, but today only two types remain: the giraffe and the okapi.

The giraffe lives in the open savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, while the okapi lives in the thick rainforest of the Congo. Even though they look very different, they share some interesting features. Both animals have a long, dark tongue, special teeth called lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin known as ossicones. These unique traits help scientists understand how closely related these amazing animals are.

Taxonomy

Evolutionary background

Giraffids are a group of hoofed mammals called ruminants, related to animals like deer and cattle. Today, there are only two types left: the giraffe and the okapi. Giraffes live in open grasslands in Africa, while okapis live in dense rainforests.

The giraffids were once more widespread, living across both Europe and Africa. Scientists have found many fossils of ancient giraffids, showing how these animals have changed over millions of years.

The giraffid family includes several extinct groups and two living species. The giraffe has several subspecies, while the okapi is the only species in its genus. These animals share a common ancestor with other pecoran mammals, including pronghorns, deer, musk deer, and bovids.

Image	Genus	Living species
	Okapia	Okapia johnstoni
	Giraffa	One species taxonomy: Giraffa camelopardalis Four species taxonomy: Giraffa camelopardalis Giraffa giraffa Giraffa reticulata Giraffa tippelskirchi Eight species taxonomy: Giraffa camelopardalis Giraffa antiquorum Giraffa peralta Giraffa giraffa Giraffa angolensis Giraffa reticulata Giraffa tippelskirchi Giraffa thornicrofti

Characteristics

The giraffe can grow to be 5–6 metres (16–20 feet) tall, with males usually taller than females. Both giraffes and okapis have very long necks and legs. Male and female giraffes have special bony growths on their heads called ossicones, but only male okapis have them.

Like other animals that chew their food well, giraffids have special hooves and a four-chambered stomach. They lack upper front teeth and instead have a tough pad to help chew food. Their tongues are long and flexible, which helps them grab leaves.

Both the okapi, which lives in forests, and the giraffe, which lives in savannas, share some traits. These include skin-covered horns called ossicones (which female okapis lack), long black tongues, special teeth, coats with patterns for hiding, and backs that slope downward. Male giraffes are the tallest mammals, with horns reaching up to 5.5 metres (18 feet) above the ground. The okapi, while also tall for its kind, stands about 1.7 metres (5 feet 7 inches) at the shoulder.

Distribution

The two living types of giraffes are found only in sub-Saharan Africa. The okapi lives in a small area in the northern rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Giraffes have a much larger area where they live now, but in the past, they lived in even more places across Africa where there were dry lands with trees.

Behavior

Giraffes and okapis have some interesting ways of behaving, even though they are different animals. Both giraffes and okapis walk in a special way, moving their left and right legs in turn, which helps them keep balanced. Giraffes can even run very fast—up to 60 kilometers per hour—and have traveled long distances, like 1,500 kilometers, during dry times.

Giraffes like to stay in groups, sometimes with up to 20 individuals together, while okapis usually live alone or with their young. Even though they don’t often make noise, both animals can make sounds like coughing, snorting, and hissing. Scientists think giraffes might even talk using very low sounds, just like elephants and blue whales do.