Not One But 'Six Giraffe Species'

BBC ^ | 12-22-2007 | Anna-Marie Lever

[RightWhale]

Giraffes laugh at people. Elephants are just annoyed by the mere existence of people.

[Sir_Humphrey]

Giraffe ping

[Disambiguator]

"The female Maasai giraffe may be looking at the male reticulated giraffe and thinking, 'I don't look like you; I don't want to mate with you'," Mr Brown explained.

:^)

[NonValueAdded]

Will DNA decoding lead to a change in biological toponymy? Or, as the article suggests, just a word game to get funding and protection?

[AlphaNumericus]

I wonder what the same exact DNA analysis would say about the human species?

[MediaMole]

If the different “species” can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, then they are just different breeds of giraffe. Unless they want to start calling a German Shepard a different species from a Labrador Retriever.

[Steely Tom]

Giraffes are insincere.

[CarrotAndStick]

DNA analyses of humans have been performed to a far greater extent than the equivalent on any other living organism.

[AlphaNumericus]

I know, but politically incorrect finding would have been suppressed.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

“Giraffe populations have dropped by 30% over the past decade”

OK, so if there ARE multiple species, which ones are least fit?

And is there not a government program for these underprivileged?

Darwin, bah humbug.

---

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In other news, heard near the herd:

Hey Baby, wanna NECK?

[Soliton]

If they don’t taste good, who cares?

[blam]

"Giraffes are insincere."

At The Zoo

[unspun]

If giraffes can reproduce across these differentiations, they are manifestly not separate “species.”

[Calvin Locke]

That "Dirty Jobs" show did a day at the zoo. The pooper-scooper guy said giraffe poop was probably his favorite, since it passes through four stomachs, and comes out looking like Kix cereal.

So off to the giraffe area they went....

[blam]

Giraffes Duking It Out

[PapaBear3625]

Lions and tigers turn out to be the same species. A lion and tiger can interbreed and produce fertile offspring with mixed lion/tiger characteristics

[unspun]

I'm glad that at least the article uses the word "subspecies" in its body.

[Old Professer]

If they thought there was any influence or money in it, they would try that argument; unfortunately, there seems to be no liklihood that dogs will become extinct unless we run out of meat for the planet.

[jwalsh07]

From the giraffes point of view thier necks are too short, from their predators point of view they grin and see dinner while Mr Giraffe quenches his ample thirst.