Giraffidae

Giraffidae Temporal range: 20–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Early Miocene – recent
An okapi in Bristol Zoo, England
Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi) at the Mikumi National Park, Tanzania
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Superfamily:	Giraffoidea
Family:	Giraffidae Gray, 1821
Type genus
Giraffa Linnaeus, 1758
Subfamilies
†Canthumerycinae Giraffinae †Sivatheriinae

The Giraffidae are a family of ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a common ancestor with deer and bovids. This family, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, presently comprises only two extant genera, the giraffe (one or more species of Giraffa, depending on taxonomic interpretation) and the okapi (the only known species of Okapia). Both are confined to sub-Saharan Africa: the giraffe to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Congo. The two genera look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including a long, dark-coloured tongue, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called ossicones.