Page 13 - IFV_Issue 2_Feb_2022

The Supersaurus

according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), which 44%. It is likely to remain in the category of ‘Vulnerable’ – that is
advises the IUCN. ‘Vulnerable to Extinction’.
There are now just over 117 000 giraffe left in the wild, yet it The uniquely marked ‘ivy leaf’ pattern of the reticulated giraffe
is today more vulnerable to population collapse than even the (Giraffa reticulata) is limited to the embattled region of North
elephant whose African population is three times larger. Africa: northern Kenya, southern Somalia, and southern Ethiopia.
The latest taxonomic changes divide the giraffe into four Today, their numbers and range are far from accurately known
species. and many are outside protected areas. Kenyan rangelands and
Our South African giraffe, formally named the ‘southern or the Laikipia Plateau remain their stronghold.
reticulated giraffe’ (Giraffa giraffa giraffa) is, by far, the most In 2015, the IUCN Red List assessed their numbers at 8 661.
plentiful. In 2020, the estimate was 15 985 – an increase of 85%. But the
The foundation, the world’s only institution dedicated to dramatic jump in population rather reflects an undercount in
monitoring the status of the giraffe, says there were 97 562 giraffe 2015 and more accurate surveys since.
in 2016. Today, there are 117 173. That’s a 20% growth. Just like the Supersaurus, the giraffe is a herbivore. But there
“Most importantly,” the foundation reported, “numbers are the similarity ends – the Supersaurus is categorised as a dinosaur
increasing across all of the recently defined four species. This is the (often referred to as a super lizard), whereas the giraffe is a
first time such trends have been reported in modern history.” mammal. While a giraffe lives for an average of 26 years in the wild
Our southern giraffe, the species found in Kruger Park whose and sometimes over 30 in captivity, the Supersaurus’ lifespan was
south-eastern region is thought to have the highest concentration thought to be around 100 years.
of giraffe in the world, is distributed throughout most parts of Amazingly, although the giraffe has a long neck, it is too short
Southern Africa. They were decimated by hunters and by loss for the giraffe’s mouth to reach water, so it has to spread its front
of habitat throughout the 19th and early 20th century. Today, legs and grossly bend its knees.
hundreds survive in scattered and vulnerable groups, from South When it does lower its head, one can be forgiven for wondering
Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, to Mozambique. why the pressure of the blood coursing down the thick artery in its
The other three subspecies include the Kordofan giraffe neck does not burst its brain. In fact, it has a sponge-like apparatus
(G. camelopardalis antiquorum) that live mostly up near the at the base of the brain to absorb the blood. Likewise, when the
Equator. They exist in fragmented populations across East, Central giraffe suddenly raises its head it should, logically, faint as the
and West Africa. While their numbers remain precariously low, blood descends – but the sponge allows the blood to flow back
their population trend is currently positive, particularly in Chad, down gently.
the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger.
In 2015, there were 4 776. In 2020, there were 5 919 – a 24%
increase.
But so vulnerable and scattered is the Kordofan that the
foundation says it must remain on the IUCN’s list as ‘Critically
Endangered’ – that’s one category above ‘Extinct in the Wild’.
Then there’s the Masai giraffe (Giraffa giraffa tippelskirchi), the
second most populous species, which is found throughout East
Africa, including large parts of southern Kenya and central and
northern Tanzania, with a few in Zambia, where the Luangwa
variety, once known as Thornicroft’s giraffe, is now deemed to be a
part of the Masai species. It has richer and quite startling chestnut
patches divided by more vivid white lines than the subspecies we
get in southern Africa.
The increasing number of Masai giraffe is partly due to more
accurate counting as well as enlightened conservation measures. South Africa’s giraffe
In 2015, there were 31 611. In 2020, 45 402 – an increase of

The Villager • Issue 2 2022 • 11