On Sunday, September 17, National Geographic shared news of a rare spotless giraffe seen in the wild in central Namibia, mere weeks after another spotless giraffe was born at a zoo in Tennessee.
The news, shared on their Instagram account, @natgeo, is fascinating for all. The phenomenon is extremely rare, and two cases occurring in such a short amount of time is leading to intriguing discussions about what this might mean.
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Wow, this is so interesting! According to National Geographic, a tour guide at Mount Etjo Safari Lodge in central Namibia saw and captured the photo of the solid-brown calf during a drive reserve. This comes on the heels of the birth of another spotless giraffe at Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tenn.
Before these recent births, a giraffe with all-brown coloring was last seen at a Tokyo zoo in 1972. However, scientists believe the 2 spotless-calf births happening within a few weeks of each other is a genetic anomaly and not indicative of any larger change in trends.
Derek Lee, a biology professor at Penn State University, says that technically these two recent examples are not spotless animals, but instead —”one-spot-all-over giraffes.”
The distinctive spots on giraffes serve as a natural camouflage in the wild, helping them blend into the dappled shadows of their savannah habitat. As these young giraffes grow, their spots become more pronounced, accentuating their unique beauty and making them a captivating sight on the African plains.
Baby giraffes, like many mammals, experience rapid growth during their early months of life. At birth, they typically stand around 6 feet tall and grow about an inch each day during their first few weeks. By the time they reach six months of age, they can already be close to 10 feet tall. This impressive growth rate allows them to quickly adapt to their environment and reach adulthood, where they can eventually stand up to 18 feet tall.
Giraffes are truly a fascinating species, and these two recent genetic anomalies are just the latest example as to why they are so interesting!
