World Giraffe Day celebrates the longest-necked animal in the world on June 21 - the longest day or night of the year. Much of giraffe's traditional range is suffering from habitat loss and is now being used for agriculture. Traditionally, only one species of giraffe was recognized, with 9 subspecies, but recent work in genetic studies of mitochondrial DNA has led to the recognition of eight distinct species: Kordofan, Nubian, Rothschild's, West African, reticulated, Angolan, South African, Masai, and Thornicroft's.
