[3][4] Southern giraffes have rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves.

They range from South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.

[3] Living giraffes were originally classified as one species by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, under the binomial name Cervus camelopardalis.

The Cape subspecies of the southern giraffe has dark, somewhat rounded patches "with some fine projections" on a tawny background colour.

After local extinctions in various places, the South African giraffes have been reintroduced in many parts of Southern Africa, including in Eswatini.