Giraffes have beautiful spotted coats. While no two individuals have exactly the same pattern, giraffes from the same area appear similar. The IUCN currently recognises only one species of giraffe with nine subspecies.

KORDOFAN GIRAFFE 

  Native : Southern Chad, the Central African Republic, northern Cameroon, and north-eastern DR Congo.

  Appearance :  Compared to the Nubian giraffe, this subspecies has smaller and more irregular spotting patterns. Its spots may be found below the hocks and the insides of the legs. A median lump is present in males.

NUBIAN GIRAFFE 

  Native : Eastern South Sudan, south-western Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

  Appearance : It has sharply defined chestnut-coloured spots surrounded by mostly white lines, while undersides lack spotting. The median lump is particularly developed in the male.

 ROTHSCHILD GIRAFFE

  Other name : Baringo giraffe or Ugandan giraffe

  Native : Uganda and Kenya.

  Appearance : This giraffe has large dark patches that usually have complete margins, but may also have sharp edges. The dark spots may also have paler radiating lines or streaks within them. Spotting does not often reach below the hocks and almost never to the hooves. This ecotype may also develop five "horns".

WEST AFRICAN GIRAFFE 

  Other name : Niger giraffe or Nigerian giraffe

  Native : South-western Niger

  Appearance : This animal has a lighter pelage than other subspecies, with red lobe-shaped blotches that reach below the hocks. The ossicones are more erect than in other subspecies and males have well-developed median lumps. 

RETICULATED GIRAFFE 

  Native : North-eastern Kenya, southern Ethiopia, and Somalia.

  Appearance : Its distinctive coat pattern consists of sharp-edged, reddish brown polygonal patches divided by a network of thin white lines. Spots may or may not extend below the hocks, and a median lump is present in males.

ANGOLAN GIRAFFE

  Scientific name : G. giraffa angolensis

  Other name : Namibian giraffe

  Native : Northern Namibia, south-western Zambia, Botswana, and western Zimbabwe.

  Appearance : This subspecies has large brown blotches with edges that are either somewhat notched or have angular extensions. The spotting pattern extends throughout the legs but not the upper part of the face. The neck and rump patches tend to be fairly small. The subspecies also has a white ear patch.

SOUTH AFRICAN GIRAFFE

  Scientific name : G. giraffa giraffa

  Other name : Cape giraffe

  Native : Northern South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, and south-western Mozambique.

  Appearance : It has dark, somewhat rounded patches "with some fine projections" on a tawny background colour. The spots extend down the legs and get smaller. The median lump of males is less developed.

MASAI GIRAFFE

  Scientific name : G. camelopardalis tippelskirchi

  Other name :  Kilimanjaro giraffe

  Native : Central and southern Kenya and in Tanzania.

  Appearance : It has distinctive, irregular, jagged, star-like blotches which extend to the hooves. A median lump is usually present in males.

THORNICROFT'S GIRAFFE

  Scientific name : G. camelopardalis thornicrofti

  Other name : Luangwa giraffe or Rhodesian giraffe

  Native : Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia.

  Appearance : The patches are notched and somewhat star-shaped, and may or may not extend across the legs. The median lump of males is underdeveloped.