Investigating in Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda), a team of scientists observed something unusual . A wild giraffe with remarkably very short legs despite having what appeared to be a sub-adult body size . In Namibia they found a second wild giraffe with similar morphological abnormalities. What happened to them?
Researchers believe that both giraffes are affected by a condition similar to skeletal dysplasia (as is the case with dwarfism in humans). This is the first time that giraffes with this condition have been described in the wild.
Giraffes have an average height of 4.6 to 6.1 meters.
Using photogrammetry and comparing these morphometric data, the experts were able to establish that the two giraffes that appeared unusually short were in fact significantly different from the average heights of each giraffe population.
The authors write that this is the first time this type of skeletal dysplasia has been seen in wild giraffes and it has also not been seen before in any captive animal.
Is it common?
The fact that they have not been seen so far indicates that it is probably quite a rare phenomenon.
Reference: Skeletal dysplasia like syndromes in wild giraffe 2020 BMC research Notes DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-020-05403-9
