AnAge entry for Giraffa camelopardalis

Classification (HAGRID: 01699)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Artiodactyla
                Family: Giraffidae
                    Genus: Giraffa
Species: Giraffa camelopardalis
Common name: Giraffe

Maximum longevity: 39.5 years (captivity)
Source: ref. 671
Sample size: Large
Data quality: High
Observations: There are anecdotal reports of giraffes living over 40 years. One wild born specimen was about 39.5 years when it died in captivity [0671]. Tooth wear has been suggested to have a significant deleterious impact in captivity [0827].

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

[1136] Gomes et al. (2011), Comparative biology of mammalian telomeres: hypotheses on ancestral states and the roles of telomeres in longevity determination (PubMed)
[0827] Clauss et al. (2007), Tooth wear in captive giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis): mesowear analysis classifies free-ranging specimens as browsers but captive ones as grazers (PubMed)
[0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
[0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
[0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
[1035] Vogelnest and Ralph (1997), Chemical immobilisation of giraffe to facilitate short procedures (PubMed)
[0677] Saether and Gordon (1994), The adaptive significance of reproductive strategies in ungulates (PubMed)
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
[0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction
[0436] Cutler (1979), Evolution of human longevity: a critical overview (PubMed)