The Giraffidae are a family of ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a recent common ancestor with deer and bovids. This family, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, presently comprises only two extant genera, the giraffe (between one and eight, usually four, species of Giraffa , depending on taxonomic interpretation ...

okapi, (Okapia johnstoni), cud-chewing hoofed mammal that is placed along with the giraffe in the family Giraffidae (order Artiodactyla). It serves as the flagship species (a popular species that has become a symbol for the conservation of a region) for …

Gi­raf­fids are large (okapis) to huge (gi­raffes); weights range from around 250 kg to over 1500 kg. They have long and nar­row heads, thin lips, and long, seem­ingly pre­hen­sile tongues. Okapis lack, how­ever, the ex­tra­or­di­nary long neck and legs of gi­raffes.

Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are charismatic and iconic animals. Together with their closest living relatives, okapis (Okapia johnstonii), they are remnants of an otherwise diverse group of even-toed ungulates – Giraffidae.

Giraffids are mammals, in the order of the even-toed ungulates. The family has two living species, the giraffe and the okapi. The giraffe and the okapi both live in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. The giraffe lives in open savannas, while the okapi lives in the rainforests of the Congo.

The Giraffidae family stands out among mammals for its unique adaptations to life in the wild. Giraffes are the tallest land animals, recognized for their long necks and legs, while Okapis have a striking appearance reminiscent of both horses and zebras.

Early giraffids, unlike their long-necked descendants, had a more deer-like appearance during the Miocene epoch. Today, there are four distinct species of giraffe with seven subspecies, each occupying specific regions within Africa.

The families Bovidae, Antilocapridae, Giraffidae, Tragulidae, and Hippopotamidae represent a large and diverse group of ruminant and pseudoruminant artiodactyls. Nutritional diseases, such as deficiencies in copper and vitamin E are particularly important in these taxa.

Apr 9, 2025 · Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. For more multimedia, look at Giraffidae on Wikimedia Commons.

Giraffidae is a small family of ruminants with approximately 53 species, all of which are extinct except for four extant giraffe species and the okapi. The Giraffa species are morphologically very similar.