Two giraffes are breaking scientific barriers as the first ever reported dwarves of their kind.
The two males were first seen by researchers in Namibia and Uganda displaying disproportionately short legs compared to their average sized neck and torso, reported the New York Times.
While giraffes average around 15 to 20 feet in height, these rare creatures stand at 8 foot-6-inches tall, according to a new study on the encounters published in BMC Research Notes.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation posted a photo of the rare sighting to their Instagram page.
“GCF researchers recently spotted two dwarf giraffe in Namibia and Uganda," the caption reads. "These adult male giraffe are the first dwarf giraffe that have been described in the scientific literature. Using digital photogrammetry techniques, the researchers found that these giraffe had shorter legs compared to others of similar age. The fact that this is the first description of dwarf giraffe is just another example of how little we know about these iconic animals.”
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The first giraffe calf was observed on December 15, 2015 in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. The second calf was seen one year later in December of 2016, and again in March of 2017 in Namibia. Measurements were taken of both giraffes using digital photogrammetry techniques.
While dwarfism among wild animals is rare, this is not the first time researchers have reported sightings of the genetic syndrome. Dwarfism has been reported in red deer in Scotland, as well as a male elephant in Sri Lanka, the study noted.
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