Namibian giraffe, Smokey giraffe
The Angolan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis or Giraffa giraffa angolensis) is a subspecies of giraffe. It is also known as the Namibian giraffe or Smokey giraffe.
Angolan giraffes have 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. They also have a white ear patch.
Angolan giraffes are found in northern Namibia, south-western Zambia, Botswana, western Zimbabwe, and since mid-2023 again in Angola. They live in savannas with sparse woody vegetation and shrubs.
Angolan giraffes are usually found in small groups of 5 to 20 individuals. These groups are usually sex-segregated although mixed-sex groups made of adult females and young males also occur. Young males also form groups and engage in playfights. However, as they get older, males become more solitary but may also associate in pairs or with female groups. Like all giraffes, they are not territorial, but they have home ranges that vary according to rainfall and proximity to human settlements. Males occasionally roam far from areas that they normally frequent. Males move longer than females and also they have longer average daily movement (5.64 km compared to 1.87km in 180 days during the hot-dry season). Male giraffes use their necks as weapons in combat, a behavior known as "necking". Necking is used to establish dominance and males that win necking bouts have greater reproductive success. Giraffes browse during the first and last hours of the daytime. Between these hours, giraffes mostly stand and ruminate. Rumination is the dominant activity during the night when it is mostly done lying down.
Angolan giraffes are herbivores (folivores). They mainly eat the eats of Commiphora flower plants. During the cold-dry and early hot-dry season Angolan giraffes usually forage in mountainous areas.
Giraffes are polygynous, meaning that males mate with multiple females. Usually, males engage in combats, after which the winner gets right to mate with receptive females whenever and wherever it finds them. Normally, the gestation period lasts 13-15 months, yielding a single baby, rarely - twins. The female gives birth in a calving area, which she further uses throughout her life. A newborn calf can walk in just an hour after birth and can run within 24 hours after birth.
The main threat to Angolan giraffes is the loss of their native habitat due to the expansion of cultivated areas, cutting of trees for firewood and construction, and natural or man-made bushfires. Angolan giraffes also suffer from illegal hunting and poaching; these animals attract hunters for their meat, skin, and tail.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Angolan giraffe is 14,748 individuals or 10,323 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.
Giraffes have a great effect on the trees that they feed on, delaying the growth of young trees for some years and giving "waistlines" to too tall trees. In addition, when spotting a predator, they can serve as a warning system for other nearby animals.
