There are nine species of giraffes. They are Reticulated or Somali giraffe, Kordofan giraffe, Nubian giraffe, South African or Cape giraffe, Angolan or Smokey giraffe, West African or Nigerian Giraffe, Rhodesian or Thornicroft giraffe, Rothschild or Ugandan giraffe and Maasai or Kilimanjaro giraffe. Each of them is differentiated by range as well as by the color and size of coat patterns. The taxonomy of the different species is not widely agreed. Some scientists regard West African and Kordofan giraffes as a single subspecies, the same way with Rothschild and Nubian giraffes, as well as with South African and Angolan giraffes.

The giraffe has a distinctive coat pattern that covers its entire body except the underbellies. The pattern stands out in some a bit more than the others. Its skin color is tan with dark brown patches on males and light brown patches on females. The patches can be sharp or fuzzy edged; brown or cream shaded; yellow to black in color; and large, medium or small in size. The shapes, colors and sizes of the patches as well as the whiteness surrounding them and the separation between spots vary by subspecies. The spotty coat of giraffes serves 4 major functions.

Instinctively, female giraffes return to the place where they were born to give birth. They give birth while standing, and the placenta sack bursts when the baby falls headfirst to the ground. The calves receive a rough welcome, falling over five feet to the earth. So, the first thing a calf experience is a sudden drop onto the hard, cold ground, but it never gets hurt. The calves can run within an hour after birth. Sometimes it is left alone by the mother for most of the day. During times like this, the calf remains quiet until the mother returns.

Travel to Kenya to get to know the giraffes