West African giraffe
| West African giraffe | |
|---|---|
| Near Kouré, Niger | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Giraffidae |
| Genus: | Giraffa |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | G. c. peralta |
| Trinomial name | |
| Giraffa camelopardalis peralta Thomas, 1898 | |
| Range in dark orange | |
The West African giraffe (Giraffa peralta or Giraffa camelopardalis peralta), also known as the Niger giraffe, is a species or subspecies of the giraffe distinguished by its light colored spots. Its last self-sustaining herd is in southwest Niger, supported by a series of refuges in Dosso Region and the tourist center at Kouré, some 80km southeast of Niamey.
In the 19th century it ranged from Senegal to Lake Chad, yet in 2011 this subspecies only survives in a few isolated pockets containing about 400 individuals in total. All captive so-called "West African giraffe" are now known to be the Kordofan giraffe (G. c. antiquorum).