The northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), also known as the three-horned giraffe, is a species of giraffe native to North Africa.

Giraffes collectively are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as the global population is thought to consist of about 97,000 individuals as of 2016.

A 2021 whole genome sequencing study suggested the northern giraffe as a separate species, and postulates the existence of three distinct subspecies, and more recently, one extinct subspecies. This supports the 2025 IUCN reports.

There are three recognized subspecies of northern giraffe: the Kordofan giraffe, the Nubian giraffe, and the West African giraffe.

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! Image !! Subspecies !! Description !!Distribution

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|150px|| Kordofan giraffe (G. c. antiquorum) || Its spots may be found below the hocks and the insides of the legs. A median lump is present in males. ||Southern Chad, the Central African Republic, northern Cameroon, and the northeastern DR Congo.

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|150px|| Nubian giraffe (G. c. camelopardalis) ||It has sharply defined chestnut-coloured spots surrounded by mostly white lines, while undersides lack spotting. Includes the Rothschild's giraffe ecotype ||Eastern South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia, in addition to Kenya and Uganda.

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|150px|| West African giraffe (G. c. peralta)|| This animal has a lighter pelage than other subspecies, with red lobe-shaped blotches that reach below the hocks. ||Southwestern Niger

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|Senegalese giraffe (G. c. senegalensis)

|It had dark brown patches, with a clear contour. Body was almost uniform in size.

|Extinct; formerly parts of Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, and Mauritania up until the 1970s.

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Description

Often mistaken with the southern giraffe, the northern giraffe differs by the shape and size of the two distinctive horn-like protuberances known as ossicones on its forehead; they are longer and larger than those of southern giraffe. Male northern giraffes have a third cylindrical ossicone in the center of the head just above the eyes, ranging from long.

References

  • ARKive – images and movies of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis).
  • Giraffe, African Wildlife Foundation
  • Giraffe