When I was much younger, there used to be a single kind of giraffe which occurred all over Africa south of the Saharan desert. At that time, several subspecies were recognized. In the recent past, genetic studies have shown that Giraffa camelopardalis is really 4 distinct species.

The proposed names for the 4 new species are: Giraffa giraffa, Giraffa tippelskirchi, Giraffa reticulata, and Giraffa camelopardalis. You can read more about this in an article by Chris Woolston in Nature on 9-8-2016 about the discovery of the genetically distinct giraffes and their conservation needs.

The Giraffe family, Giraffidae, contains only one other species besides the the giraffes. The Okapi, Okapia johnstoni, are smaller versions of the giraffe body style and their camouflage is different because of their preference for rain forest habitat.

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