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evening over maastricht

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Uploaded on Jul 10, 2008

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Lighthouse - vuurtoren

made for a challenge in De Doka
Thanks Ben for the original picture!

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Uploaded on Jul 4, 2008

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black beauty

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Uploaded on Jul 2, 2008

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She knows she's beautiful

There are nine generally accepted subspecies, differentiated by colour and pattern variations and range:

* Reticulated or Somali Giraffe (G.c. reticulata) — large, polygonal liver-coloured
spots outlined by a network of bright white lines. The blocks may sometimes
appear deep red and may also cover the legs. Range: northeastern Kenya,
Ethiopia, Somalia.
* Angolan or Smoky Giraffe (G.c. angolensis) — large spots and some notches
around the edges, extending down the entire lower leg. Range: Angola, Zambia.
* Kordofan Giraffe (G.c. antiquorum) — smaller, more irregular spots that cover the
inner legs. Range: western and southwestern Sudan.
* Masai or Kilimanjaro Giraffe (G.c. tippelskirchi) — jagged-edged, vine-leaf
shaped spots of dark chocolate on a yellowish background. Range: central and
southern Kenya, Tanzania.
* Nubian Giraffe (G.c. camelopardalis) — large, four-sided spots of chestnut brown
on an off-white background and no spots on inner sides of the legs or below the
hocks. Range: eastern Sudan, northeast Congo.
* Rothschild Giraffe or Baringo Giraffe or Ugandan Giraffe (G.c. rothschildi) — deep
brown, blotched or rectangular spots with poorly defined cream lines. Hocks may
be spotted. Range: Uganda, north-central Kenya.
* South African Giraffe (G.c. giraffa) — rounded or blotched spots, some with
star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves.
Range: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
* Thornicroft or Rhodesian Giraffe (G.c. thornicrofti) — star-shaped or leafy spots
extend to the lower leg. Range: eastern Zambia.
* West African or Nigerian Giraffe (G.c. peralta) — numerous pale, yellowish red
spots. Range: Niger, Cameroon.

Though giraffes of these populations interbreed freely under conditions of captivity, suggesting that they are sub-specific populations, genetic testing published in 2007[5] has been interpreted to show that there may be at least six species of giraffe that are reproductively isolated and not interbreeding, even though no natural obstacles, like mountain ranges or impassable rivers block their mutual access. In fact, the study found that the two giraffe populations that live closest to each other— the reticulated giraffe (G. camelopardalis reticulata) of north Kenya, and the Maasai giraffe (G. c. tippelskirchi) in south Kenya— separated genetically between 0.13 and 1.62 million years BP, judging from genetic drift in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.

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De giraffe kent verscheidene ondersoorten. De volgende ondersoorten worden over het algemeen erkend:

* Netgiraffe (G.c. reticulata) - Noord-Kenia, Somalië, Ethiopië
* Angolagiraffe (G.c. angolensis) - Angola en Namibië tot Botswana
* Kordofangiraffe (G.c. antiquorum) - West-Soedan
* Masaigiraffe (G.c. tippelskirchi) - Zuid-Kenia, Tanzania
* Nubische giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) - Oost-Soedan, Eritrea
* Rothschildgiraffe of Oegandagiraffe (G.c. rothschildi) - West-Kenia,
Oost-Oeganda
* Kaapse giraffe (G.c. giraffa) - Zimbabwe, Zuid-Afrika tot Mozambique
* Thornicrofts giraffe (G.c. thornicrofti) - Luangavallei, Zambia
* Tsjaadgiraffe (G.c. peralta) - Sahel: Noord-Nigeria, Niger, oostwaarts tot Tsjaad

Hoewel de verschillende soorten giraffes in gevangenschap onderling paren, gebeurt dit zeldzamer in het wild, ook niet wanneer er geen natuurlijke obstakels zijn, zoals bergen of rivieren, die onderlinge toegankelijkheid beperken. Zes ondersoorten paren zelfs nooit onderling, mede vanwege geïsoleerde leefgebieden. Studies hebben zelfs uitgewezen dat de twee giraffensoorten, die het dichtst bij elkaar leven - de Netgiraffe van Noord Kenia en de Masai giraffe van Zuid-Kenia, reeds meer dan 1 miljoen jaar geleden, genetisch van elkaar gescheiden werden.

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Uploaded on Jul 2, 2008

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