By CGTN Africa
Researchers have found two dwarf giraffes on different sides of Africa.
According to the study, published in the journal BMC Research Notes, scientists discovered an 8 1/2-foot (2.6 metre) giraffe in Namibia in 2018. Three years earlier, they had also found a 9-foot 3-inch (2.8 metre) giraffe in a Ugandan wildlife park.
In both cases, the giraffes had the standard long necks but short, stumpy legs, a clear sign of skeletal dysplasia. The condition affects humans and domesticated animals but is rare in the wild.
This is the first time dwarfism has been observed in giraffes. And while the animals have survived into adulthood, the BMC study says “limited mobility caused by shorter leg dimension might make these giraffes more susceptible to predation, even in the subadult/adult life stages.”
“Anecdotal video evidence of giraffe movement in Namibia suggest that this giraffe experience difficulty in movement, with a limping gait,” the study continues of the condition, whose cause is unknown as of yet.
Both giraffes apparently succeeded with diminished height for years, growing to either an adult or a maturing animal nearing adulthood. However, biologists haven’t spotted the Ugandan giraffe since 2017 and the Namibian giraffe since July 2020. Indeed, their shorter legs may have hindered movement, making them more susceptible to fast predators, the researchers conclude.
Giraffe numbers have declined by some 40% over the past 30 years to around 111,000, so all four species are classified by conservationists as ‘vulnerable’.
Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, growing human populations are some of the key factors contributing to the loss.
But conservation efforts have helped numbers start to recover in the past decade, he added.
Story compiled with assistance from BioMedialcentral.com and wire reports.