Northern Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
🦒
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Giraffidae
Giraffa camelopardalis
The Northern Giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, is the world’s tallest land animal and one of Africa’s most iconic species. Once widespread across much of the continent, it now survives in fragmented populations, its towering form and spotted coat a living relic of Africa’s Pleistocene megafauna.
Description
Northern Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) — The giraffe is an extraordinary browser evolved for reaching high foliage beyond the grasp of any other terrestrial mammal. Males can reach up to 5.7 meters in height, while females average around 4.5 meters, with adult weights ranging from 800–1,200 kg (females) to as much as 1,900 kg (males).
The Northern Giraffe is distinguished by its irregular, polygonal coat patterns and lighter inner legs. Subspecies such as the Kordofan, Nubian, and West African giraffes once roamed widely across the Sahel, savannas, and open woodland belts. Its long neck, supported by only seven vertebrae, evolved through sexual selection and feeding competition — allowing it to exploit leaves from tall acacias and combretums.
Fossil ancestors of giraffes appear as early as the Miocene, showing gradual neck elongation over millions of years. Giraffa camelopardalis represents one of the last great survivors of this lineage, bridging Africa’s evolutionary past to the present.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
900
3.5
5.5
3
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
Pleistocene and Holocene hunter-gatherers across Africa hunted giraffes for meat, hide, sinew, and bone. Their immense size made them a high-yield but challenging prey. Early humans likely used fire drives and coordinated group hunts to isolate individuals near waterholes or woodland edges. Giraffe bones and engravings appear in Late Stone Age sites across the Sahara and southern Africa, suggesting both subsistence and symbolic value.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Tadrart Acacus, Libya – Rock art and remains (~9,000 BP) depict giraffe hunts using spears and throwing sticks.
Nelson Bay Cave, South Africa – Late Pleistocene deposits (~20,000 BP) include giraffe bones processed for marrow and tools.
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania – Lower Paleolithic layers (~1.6 million BP) show giraffid bones with cut marks linked to Homo erectus butchery.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Africa
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
45
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4