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Giraffidae

(Family)

Overview

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The giraffids are ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a common ancestor with deer and bovids. The biological family Giraffidae, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, contains only two living members, the giraffe and the okapi. Both are confined to sub-saharan Africa: the giraffe to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Congo. The two species look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including a long, dark-colored tongue, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called "ossicones".

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Giraffids share many common features with other ruminants. They have cloven hooves and cannon bones, much like bovids, and a complex, four-chambered stomach. They have no upper incisors or canines, replacing them with a tough, horny pad. There is an especially long diastema between the front and cheek teeth. The latter are selenodont, adapted for grinding up tough plant matter. [1] Like most other ruminants, the dental formula for giraffids is:

The behavior of the two living species shows little commonality, probably because of their different habitats and ecology.

Giraffe

Their closest fossil relatives include the deer-like palaeomerycids and the climacocerids, many genera of the latter having once been identified as giraffes themselves.

Fossil records indicate that many other giraffids thrived between the Miocene era (around 20 million years ago) and the recent past. One major group of extinct giraffids, the sivatheres, had enormous branching ossicones, and would have looked more like massive deer than giraffes.

Classification

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Skeleton of Helladotherium, now extinct
e to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Congo. The two species look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including a long, dark-colored tongue, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called "ossicones".

[ Back to top ]

Giraffids share many common features with other ruminants. They have cloven hooves and cannon bones, much like bovids, and a complex, four-chambered stomach. They have no upper incisors or canines, replacing them with a tough, horny pad. There is an especially long diastema between the front and cheek teeth. The latter are selenodont, adapted for grinding up tough plant matter. [1] Like most other ruminants, the dental formula for giraffids is:

The behavior of the two living species shows little commonality, probably because of their different habitats and ecology.

Giraffe

Their closest fossil relatives include the deer-like palaeomerycids and the climacocerids, many genera of the latter having once been identified as giraffes themselves.

Fossil records indicate that many other giraffids thrived between the Miocene era (around 20 million years ago) and the recent past. One major group of extinct giraffids, the sivatheres, had enormous branching ossicones, and would have looked more like massive deer than giraffes.

Classification

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Skeleton of Helladotherium, now extinct

References

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  1. ^ Pellew, Robin (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 534?541. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 

External links

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Taxonomy

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The Family Giraffidae is a member of the Superfamily Giraffoidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Giraffidae:

The Family Giraffidae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Bohlinia

[more]

Bramatherium

[more]

Camelopardalis

[more]

Canthumeryx

[more]

Decennatherium

Giraffa

Giraffa is a genus of mammals in the Giraffidae family. The genus consists of seven species including the giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, the only extant species. [more]

Giraffokeryx

Helladotherium

Hydaspitherium

Okapia

The okapi (), Okapia johnstoni, is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa. Although the okapi bears striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. [more]

Palaeogiraffa

Palaeotragus

Progiraffa

Samotherium

[more]

Sivatherium

Triceromeryx

[more]

More info about the Genus Triceromeryx may be found here.

References

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  1. ^ Pellew, Robin (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 534?541. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 

Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:32:37