NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Masai Giraffe
Giraffa tippelskirchi Matschie, 1898
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Masai giraffes (Giraffa tippelskirchi tippelskirchi), Arusha National Park, Tanzania
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi), also spelled Maasai giraffe, and sometimes called the Kilimanjaro giraffe, is a species of giraffe. It is native to East Africa. The Masai giraffe can be found in central and southern Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Luangwa Valley region of Zambia. It has distinctive jagged, irregular leaf-like blotches that extend from the hooves to its head. The Masai giraffe is currently the national animal of Tanzania.
Wikipedia contributors, Masai giraffe; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:05:51.708199+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Giraffa tippelskirchi Matschie, 1898
- Name authority
- Matschie, 1898
- Common name
- Masai Giraffe
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Giraffidae
- Genus
- Giraffa
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderArtiodactyla Owen, 1848
- familyGiraffidae Gray, 1821
- genusGiraffa Brisson, 1762
- speciesGiraffa tippelskirchi Matschie, 1898
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Giraffa. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Reticulated GiraffeGiraffa reticulata de Winton, 1899 | GiraffidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| GiraffeGiraffa camelopardalis (Linnaeus, 1758) | GiraffidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern GiraffeGiraffa giraffa (von Schreber, 1784) | GiraffidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1012247 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3G3KR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.