Posted on 01/09/2021 9:32:05 AM PST by Eddie01
Two individuals spotted in the wild seem to have classic long necks but unusually short, stubby legs A photo of two giraffes standing in an open space surrounded by shrubs. The giraffe on the right has dwarfism, and it is significantly shorter than the taller giraffe on the left.
This is the first time that dwarfism has been documented in captive or wild giraffes. (Emma Wells / Giraffe Conservation Foundation)
In 2015, a team of conservation biologists were conducting regular surveys in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park when they came across an adult Nubian giraffe that didn't quite fit a typical giraffe's attributes. It had the characteristically long neck of a giraffe paired with short, stocky legs—instead of long, lanky legs ones, reports Annie Roth for the New York Times.
The giraffe, named Gimli, only reached a height of 9 feet, 4 inches tall—several feet shorter than the average adult, which grows to about 16 feet. The team was in "disbelief," Michael Brown, a conservation scientist with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, tells the Times.
Three years after this puzzling observation, scientists spotted an 8.5-foot-tall, Angolan giraffe on a private farm in Namibia. The team named him Nigel, reports the Times.
Using photogrammetry, a measurement technique that uses a laser to measure distances, the scientists found that Gimli and Nigel had shorter metacarpals and radial measurements, which are the bones below and above their knees respectively, reports Rachael Funnell for IFLScience.
Based on their measurements, the team came to the conclusion that dwarfism was the most likely explanation for their different body sizes and proportions.
"While the Namibian farmer had spotted Nigel regularly over the years, it was only after our observations that he realized that Nigel was not a juvenile but a fully grown male giraffe," co-author Emma Wells, a researcher for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. "It is mainly in comparison to other giraffe that his difference in stature becomes obvious."
According to a statement from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, this is the first time that dwarfism has been documented in captive or wild giraffes. The scientists published their findings in December in the journal BMC Research Notes.
Dwarfism, also known as skeletal dysplasia, is a genetic condition that can affect bone and cartilage growth, which can lead to disproportionately sized arms, legs, head or abdomen, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The condition has been well-documented in people, and it's also known to occur in dogs, cows and pigs, reports the Times.
"Instances of wild animals with these types of skeletal dysplasias are extraordinarily rare," Brown says in the statement. "It’s another interesting wrinkle in the unique story of giraffe in these diverse ecosystems."
How these two giraffes ended up with dwarfism is still hazy. Random mutations in the genetic code can cause dwarfism, but it can also be linked to low genetic diversity or inbreeding, reports the Times.
"It’s worth noting that the Murchison Falls National Park giraffe population in Uganda experienced a significant population bottleneck in the late 1980s as a result of civil unrest and poaching," Brown tells IFLScience. "The population has rebounded remarkably since then with current estimates of over 1,500 [giraffes], although it’s unclear if there are any lingering impacts of the earlier population bottleneck."
The scientists plan to monitor Gimli and Nigel over the course of their lives to see if their dwarfism affects their behavior and social statuses, according to the statement.
A new emotional support pet?
Neck envy, anyone?
Shouldn’t that be “little” giraffes?
“We’re little giraffes!”
“The scientists plan to monitor Gimli and Nigel over the course of their lives to see if their dwarfism affects their behavior and social statuses, according to the statement.”
Who cares about that.
Do genomic comparative analysis.
In before the Jumbo Shrimp jokes.....
I believe Dwarf Giraffe tossing is still allowed.
Their behavior and social status?
It seems likely to me that they will suffer from “little giraffe syndrome.”
I don’t think we call them dwarf giraffes any more.
We call them small giraffes.
Except in Ireland, where they have dwarf giraffe tossing competitions in pubs...
It will just prove how more social justice is needed in society.
“It seems likely to me that they will suffer from “little giraffe syndrome.”
On the up side, they will be given a reality TV show on Discovery.
How soon before someone sets up dwarf giraffe wrestling? I’d pay to see it.
Dwarf giraffes are a real pain in the neck.
Someone needs to start a gofundme page to help pay for stilts so they can reach the good leaves.
It case anyone asks if dwarf giraffes are real...
Handicapable giraffes...
Africa needs to grow taller trees!
That’ll stop that.
In a move welcomed by nervous fliers, the tiny Kenyan airline Icarus Air has announced that from March 1st it will allow passengers to be accompanied by a giraffe as an ‘emotional support animal’.
FAA regulation 4A-29147 (Appendix G) currently restricts such animals to domestic pets including cats, dogs, small birds (excluding pigeons) and ‘other such creature as shall be deemed to be of essential psychological reassurance to a passenger during his/her/its flight’.
It is this last phrase which Icarus Air successfully cited in a recent Supreme Court appeal, leading to the market-leading announcement. We understand that passengers will be permitted one giraffe each, up to a maximum height of 4 metres. Giraffes will have no duty-free allowance but will each be allowed a 22 kg carry-on basket of Arcacia leaves.
[snip]
Passenger: “Stewardess, my giraffe is sick.”
Stewardess: “Did he have the chicken or the fish?”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.