Friday 9 September 2016

DNA Reveals That Giraffes Are Four Species - Not One

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One of the most iconic animals in Africa has a secret. A genetic analysis suggests that the giraffe is not one species, but 4 separate ones - a finding that could alter how conservationists protect these animals.

Researchers previously split giraffes into several subspecies on the basis of their coat patterns and where they lived. Closer inspection of their genes, however, reveals that giraffes should actually be divided into four distinct lineages that don't interbreed in the wild.

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