Scientific commentary
South Sudan’s Giraffes Hold a Surprising Genetic Inheritance
After decades of conflict and population losses, DNA from two national parks reveals genetic variety that future generations could still inherit.
Giraffe science, explained.
How do giraffes live, adapt and survive? Follow the scientists uncovering their world, from the history written in their DNA to the relationships that shape their lives.
Stories behind the science
Discover what researchers found, how they found it, and why it matters for giraffes. Each story connects the original study to a wider scientific picture.
Scientific commentary
Inside a Giraffe Heart, Muscle Forms a Branching Mesh
A heart wall changes shape with every beat. High-resolution scans reveal the connected muscle architecture behind that movement.
Scientific commentary
What a Giraffe’s Hips Can Reveal About Its Condition
Zoo giraffes were expected to look leaner than their wild counterparts. A scale built from hip photographs revealed the opposite pattern—and a way to monitor condition from a distance.
Scientific commentary
Giraffes With Similar Spot Shapes Had Stronger Social Ties
Comparing photographs with seven years of association records uncovered a small link between a female giraffe’s coat geometry and her social partners.
Scientific commentary
A Newborn Giraffe Already Has an Adult-Like Arterial Map
A stillborn calf, a six-month-old juvenile and an old adult offered three views of how blood vessels develop as a giraffe grows.
Scientific commentary
The Giraffe’s Neck Base Trades Robustness for Reach
A vertebra at the neck’s base looked less resistant to a standardised load than expected, pointing to a different division of work along the spine.
Scientific commentary
The Ancient Divide in Masai Giraffe DNA
DNA suggests that males connected giraffe populations across Tanzania’s Gregory Rift long after their maternal family lines had become separated.
Scientific commentary
Kenya’s Giraffes Remain Distinct Despite Past Interbreeding
DNA from where giraffe ranges meet reveals a history of occasional interbreeding—and shows why those encounters have not made the different species interchangeable.
Scientific commentary
What a Shaken Box Reveals About Giraffe Choices
The most revealing trial was one where following the experimenter’s movement led a giraffe away from the food.
General science guides
Start with broader introductions to giraffe communication and coat-pattern research.
Biology & Science
What Sound Does a Giraffe Make? Hear a Real Recording
The quietest animal in your picture book has a voice. Press play, then discover why hearing a giraffe is not the same as understanding it.
Biology & Science
Why Do Giraffes Have Spots? Coat Pattern Science Explained
A photograph can reveal that a giraffe has returned. Its spots may also hold clues to survival—but those are different kinds of evidence.
Find the evidence
Follow a question further through the research catalogue and topics covering giraffe biology, health and conservation.
3,620literature records
784marked open access
20evidence areas
Research library
Search giraffe papers by year, topic, evidence problem, and open-access status.
OpenEvidence map
See where giraffe conservation and health evidence is strong—and where major gaps remain.
OpenResearch stories
Discover the questions, fieldwork and findings advancing our understanding of giraffes.
OpenFrom field samples to genetic discoveries.
See how researchers combined new DNA samples from South Sudan with earlier giraffe studies to build a broader comparison.
Explore the visual guideThe complete map
All 20 evidence areas
235 records155 open access
Other infectious disease
Viral, bacterial or fungal infection, outbreaks and zoonoses (excl. GSD).
Inspect evidence196 records105 open access
Population decline, demography & census
Status, decline, survival, abundance estimation and monitoring gaps.
Inspect evidence153 records88 open access
Predation & calf survival
Predation and neonatal/juvenile mortality and recruitment.
Inspect evidence137 records69 open access
Capture, handling & translocation risk
Immobilisation, capture myopathy, handling stress, translocation and welfare.
Inspect evidence125 records63 open access
Parasites
Helminths, ticks, mites, protozoa and parasite burden.
Inspect evidence120 records62 open access
Drought, climate & water stress
Drought, climate change, heat and water stress.
Inspect evidence73 records30 open access
Injury, wounds & lameness
Trauma, wounds, fractures, hoof problems, gait impairment and lameness.
Inspect evidence61 records38 open access
Genetic & population isolation
Small-population genetics, diversity loss, isolation as a conservation threat.
Inspect evidence52 records28 open access
Nutrition & body condition
Body condition, food supply, starvation, mineral/energy deficiency.
Inspect evidence45 records24 open access
Reproductive & neonatal disorders
Dystocia, abortion, stillbirth, congenital defects, neonatal medical mortality, maternal rejection (non-predation).
Inspect evidence42 records26 open access
Habitat loss & fragmentation
Habitat loss, land-use change, encroachment and connectivity loss.
Inspect evidence41 records26 open access
Captive welfare & husbandry stress
Managed-care welfare: stereotypies, visitor and environment stress, husbandry-induced stress (distinct from wild social disruption).
Inspect evidence40 records29 open access
Snaring & illegal killing
Wire snares, poaching, bushmeat, trafficking, trophy hunting.
Inspect evidence31 records20 open access
Digestive & metabolic disorders
GI and metabolic disease: bloat, acidosis, volvulus, pancreatic disease, serous fat atrophy, peracute mortality syndrome.
Inspect evidence31 records22 open access
Giraffe skin disease (GSD)
Giraffe skin disease, including cutaneous filariasis and related dermatoses.
Inspect evidence26 records12 open access
Neoplasia & tumours
Tumours and neoplastic disease: fibropapillomas, PVNS, carcinomas, sarcomas.
Inspect evidence19 records4 open access
Foot & hoof disease
Chronic foot and hoof pathology: laminitis, overgrowth, pedal osteitis, sole disease (distinct from acute injury).
Inspect evidence19 records18 open access
Human–wildlife conflict
Conflict and competition with people and livestock.
Inspect evidence15 records7 open access
Social disruption
Loss of sociability/association and orphaning affecting survival.
Inspect evidence3 records2 open access
Roads, fences & infrastructure
Roadkill, electrocution, fence entanglement and infrastructure impacts.
Inspect evidenceWhat it is
A discovery catalogue
The corpus spans 1771–2026 and groups bibliographic records into practical evidence areas. It helps readers find sources; inclusion is not endorsement and a record count is not a systematic-review result.
What readers get
Lawful routes to the source
Records expose bibliographic metadata, DOI links, and open-access locations where available. Copyrighted full text, private notes, and researcher contact data are not republished.
Methods before claims
Follow the evidence to its source.
The methodology explains collection, classification, privacy filtering, open-access labels, and why working notes are not presented as finished reviews.