Michael Butler Brown1,2,3, Emma Wells4. 1. Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Eros, PO Box 86099, Windhoek, Namibia. brownm3@si.edu. 2. Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA. brownm3@si.edu. 3. Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA. brownm3@si.edu. 4. Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Eros, PO Box 86099, Windhoek, Namibia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Skeletal dysplasias, cartilaginous or skeletal disorders that sometimes result in abnormal bone development, are seldom reported in free-ranging wild animals. Here, we use photogrammetry and comparative morphometric analyses to describe cases of abnormal appendicular skeletal proportions of free-ranging giraffe in two geographically distinct taxa: a Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda and an Angolan giraffe (Giraffa giraffa angolensis) on a private farm in central Namibia. RESULTS: These giraffe exhibited extremely shortened radius and metacarpal bones relative to other similarly aged giraffe. Both giraffe survived to at least subadult life stage. This report documents rare occurrences of these apparent skeletal dysplasias in free-ranging wild animals and the first records in giraffe.
OBJECTIVE:Skeletal dysplasias, cartilaginous or skeletal disorders that sometimes result in abnormal bone development, are seldom reported in free-ranging wild animals. Here, we use photogrammetry and comparative morphometric analyses to describe cases of abnormal appendicular skeletal proportions of free-ranging giraffe in two geographically distinct taxa: a Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda and an Angolan giraffe (Giraffa giraffa angolensis) on a private farm in central Namibia. RESULTS: These giraffe exhibited extremely shortened radius and metacarpal bones relative to other similarly aged giraffe. Both giraffe survived to at least subadult life stage. This report documents rare occurrences of these apparent skeletal dysplasias in free-ranging wild animals and the first records in giraffe.
Authors: Leslie Bosseler; Pieter Cornillie; Jimmy H Saunders; Jaco Bakker; Jan A M Langermans; Christophe Casteleyn; Annemie Decostere; Koen Chiers Journal: Comp Med Date: 2014-10 Impact factor: 0.982
Authors: Carlos Camacho; Pedro Sáez-Gómez; Paula Hidalgo-Rodríguez; Julio Rabadán-González; Carlos Molina; Juan José Negro Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2022-03-01 Impact factor: 4.996