[imagesource: Emma Wells / Giraffe Conservation Foundation]

Good job, nature.

You’ve done it again.

These are less mini giraffes and more dwarf giraffes, the first of which was spotted in 2015, in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park, with another sighting occurring in 2018 on a private farm in Namibia.

The 2015 giraffe was named Gimli, and stood 2,8 metres tall, and the Namibian giraffe, Nigel, measured 2,6 metres tall.

The average giraffe stands around five metres tall.

However, it has taken researchers a while to clock on to exactly what they were looking at, reports the Smithsonian:

Using photogrammetry, a measurement technique that uses a laser to measure distances, the scientists found that Gimli and Nigel had shorter metacarpals and radial measurements, which are the bones below and above their knees respectively…

Based on their measurements, the team came to the conclusion that dwarfism was the most likely explanation for their different body sizes and proportions.

“While the Namibian farmer had spotted Nigel regularly over the years, it was only after our observations that he realized that Nigel was not a juvenile but a fully grown male giraffe,” co-author Emma Wells, a researcher for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

That’s Nigel up top on the right, obviously.

Here’s Gimli, from Uganda:

Image: Michael Brown/Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Scientists from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation published their findings last month, in the journal BMC Research Notes.

Let’s see these giraffes on the move:

Michael Brown of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation elaborates:

Dwarfism, also known as skeletal dysplasia, is a genetic condition that can affect bone and cartilage growth, which can lead to disproportionately sized arms, legs, head or abdomen…

“Instances of wild animals with these types of skeletal dysplasias are extraordinarily rare,” Brown says in the statement. “It’s another interesting wrinkle in the unique story of giraffe in these diverse ecosystems.”

Random genetic mutation could have caused these two cases, although it could also be linked to a small genetic pool and inbreeding.

Kind of like those folks who stormed the Capitol building last week.

[source:smithsonian]