The Giraffe Conservation Foundation says it found the first cases of “dwarf” giraffes in Africa.
According to the Foundation, the giraffes – who are half the average size – were discovered in separate populations in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda and on a private farm in central Namibia
It added that the two male giraffes represent the first documented examples of “dwarf” giraffes.
The giraffes have shorter legs than other giraffes of a similar age, the Foundation said.
Scientists spotted them during photographic surveys to determine numbers and distribution of giraffes throughout Africa.
Michael Brown, a joint postdoctoral fellow with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the lead author of the study, said the two were over a year old and had survived past the critical stage when they would be vulnerable to predators.
According to him, both giraffes appear to be affected by skeletal dysplasia, a rare collection of genetic disorders that cause dwarfism and other developmental disorders. Skeletal dysplasias cause abnormally shaped bones, especially in the head, spine and long bones of the arms and legs.
“Maybe there is some development aberration that results in differences in bone and cartilage growth,” said Brown.
“Instances of wild animals with these types of skeletal dysplasias are extraordinarily rare.
“It’s another interesting wrinkle in the unique story of giraffe in these diverse ecosystems.”
