GIRAFFIDAE

The biological family 'Giraffidae' contains just two living members, the giraffe and the okapi. 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 species 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".
The closest relatives of the Giraffidae are the other members of the suborder Ruminantia, which include cattle, goats, sheep, and antelope.
Fossil records indicate that they first appeared in the early middle Miocene.

★ 'ORDER ARTIODACTYLA'

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★ Suborder Suina: pigs, hippos and peccaries

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★ Suborder Tylopoda: camels and llamas

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★ 'Suborder Ruminantia'

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★ Infraorder Tragulina

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★ Family Tragulidae: chevrotains

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★ Infraorder Pecora

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★ Family Moschidae: musk deer

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★ Family Cervidae: deer

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★ Family Antilocapridae: Pronghorn

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★ Family Bovidae: cattle, goats, sheep, and antelope

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★ Superfamily Giraffoidea

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★ Family Climacoceratidae

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★ †''Climacoceras''

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★ 'Family Giraffidae'

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★ †''Bohlinia''

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★ Giraffe, ''Giraffa camelopardalis''

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★ †''Giraffokeryx''

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★ †''Helladotherium''

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★ Okapi, ''Okapia johnstoni''

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★ †''Paleotragus''

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★ †''Sivatherium''

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★ †''Samotherium''

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★ (and many other genera)

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