Overview

• An IUCN task force now recognizes Northern, Reticulated, Masai and Southern giraffes as distinct species after a formal taxonomic review.
• The revision draws on extensive genomic evidence and skull morphology studies, including more than 2,000 samples collected across Africa as sequencing costs fell sharply.
• Each species will receive an independent IUCN Red List assessment, paving the way for targeted protections and informing regulatory actions under consideration in some jurisdictions such as the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
• Conservation groups report large population disparities, with Northern giraffes the most threatened at roughly 6,000 to 7,000 individuals in the wild.
• Threats vary by region, with political instability and poaching pressuring Northern giraffes while habitat conversion to pasture and agriculture increasingly affects Masai populations, whereas Southern giraffes are the most numerous.