How many different species or sub spieces are there of giraffes in Africa? If you could please name them???

Question

This is an argument that has been going around my family and I would like to sort it out.

Answer 1

One species : Cervus camelopardalis

9 subspecies, although this is approximate, as there is overlap of territory and interbreeding occurs.

The reticulated giraffe (Giraffa c. reticulata) of north Kenya is most distinctive with a latticework of thin pale lines separating large chestnut-colored square patches. The larger Baringo, or Rothschild's, giraffe (Giraffa c. rothschildi) of western Kenya and eastern Uganda has chestnut patches separated by broader white lines but no spotting below knees. The Masai giraffe (Giraffa c. tippelskirchi) of East Africa has the most irregular pattern of star-shaped brown or tan spots. Other races include the West African giraffe (Giraffa c. peralta) in Niger, Kordofan giraffe (Giraffa c. antiquorum) of western Sudan, Nubian giraffe (Giraffa c. camelopardalis) in eastern Sudan and Eritrea, Thornicroft giraffe (Giraffa c. thornicrofti) in Zambia, the Angolan giraffe (Giraffa c. angolensis) in southern Angola, northern Namibia, and western Botswana, and the southern giraffe (Giraffa c. capensis) of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Some authorities synopsize Kordofan and West African, Nubian and Rothschild's, and Angolan and southern giraffes, respectively.

Answer 2

I believe there are 3 - Rothschild, reticulated and masai. there may b a few other rarer ones, but they are the main ones i can think of, off the top of my head