The Masai giraffe occurs in Kenya, Tanzania and part of Zambia.
Its dark brown patches have jagged, leaf-like edges against a lighter brown background.
Masai giraffes in northern Tanzania raise their young amid seasonal changes in the animals around them. Large herds of wildebeests and zebras arrive in some places and move away at other times. A calf’s world includes not only its mother but also migrating herbivores and lions.
A 2016 study analysed the survival of 449 individually identified calves using 18 photographic surveys across five parts of the Tarangire ecosystem from 2012 to 2014. Researchers compared lion abundance, wildebeest and zebra abundance and the ratio between them. The ratio of lions to their main prey explained calf survival better than lion abundance alone. Survival was lower where and when this ratio was higher. The researchers suggest that large migrating herds can draw predation toward those prey, reducing pressure on giraffe calves. The movements of other herbivores may therefore influence giraffe reproduction.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2016 Tarangire study warns that further losses of wildebeests and zebras could also affect Masai giraffe calves. Habitat fragmentation, disrupted migration and poaching could reduce the herds, increasing the ratio of lions to their principal prey and potentially raising predation pressure on young giraffes. The findings support considering giraffe conservation together with the connected habitats that allow other herbivores to migrate.