Giraffidae

The Giraffidae are a family of ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a recent common ancestor with deer and bovids. This family, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, presently comprises only two extant genera, the giraffe (between one and eight, usually four, species of Giraffa, depending on taxonomic interpretation) and the okapi (the only known species of Okapia). Both are confined to sub-Saharan Africa: the giraffe to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Congo. The two genera look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including a long, dark-coloured tongue, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called ossicones.

==Taxonomy== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Genus !! Living species |- |175px||Okapia || Okapia johnstoni |- |175px||Giraffa || One species taxonomy: Giraffa camelopardalis Four species taxonomy: Giraffa camelopardalis Giraffa giraffa Giraffa reticulata Giraffa tippelskirchi Eight species taxonomy: Giraffa camelopardalis Giraffa antiquorum Giraffa peralta Giraffa giraffa Giraffa angolensis Giraffa reticulata Giraffa tippelskirchi Giraffa thornicrofti |- |}