Giraffe species face extinction

Scientists from the United States and Kenya recently have determined that Africa is home to multiple species of giraffe, several of which appear to be in danger of extinction.

In a new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a U.S.-based nonprofit, geneticists revealed that Africa’s giraffe population is composed not of a single species, but of six, and that several of them are endangered, according to China Daily.

Populations reportedly have dwindled due to lost habitat, poaching, and warring in various countries, such as Somalia and Ethiopia. Altogether, the numbers have dropped from about 27,000 in the 1990s to fewer than 3,000 today, the study concluded. Since the animals were previously believed to be one species, they have been listed as a low risk for extinction by the World Conservation Union.