Telling the Difference Between Subspecies

BeardsleyZooFan

BeardsleyZooFan

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
For me, distinguishing different subspecies can be difficult. Does anyone else hear have this problem, or knows tricks on how to tell different subspecies of certain animals? Two pairs of animals I have difficulty of distinguishing between are Rothschild's Giraffe and Reticulated Giraffe, and Malayan Tigers and Indochinese Tigers.
 
subspecies are defined by differing characteristics, the primary ones being distribution and genetics. In some animals (eg giraffes) the subspecies [or species if one splits them] can be easily distinguished by the patterning, in other species visual distinction is very difficult or even impossible if one doesn't know where the particular individual came from. There is no one rule as to visually distinguishing one subspecies from another, it has to be done on a species by species basis.
 
I don't know if anyone can tell the difference between Panthera tigris jacksoni and Panthera tigris corbetti visually. The main difference between those two is genetic. With the exception of the Sumatran Tiger all tigers are very genetically close. Some even say that the Sumatran should be a separate subspecies. Another reason you cannot tell is you personally have never seen an Indochinese Tiger. There are none in captivity outside of Asia.

As for the Rothschild (AKA Nubian) Giraffe vs. Reticulated. You probably again have never seen a true member of either of those species (Giraffa camelopardalis and Giraffa reticulata). True members of these species (note NOT subspecies) are fairly easy to tell apart. A true reticulated has the characteristic white lines and the dark solid spots. They also have a very dark face. A Nubian has a lighter face, males go almost black with age, and old males can have 5 horns. A Nubian Giraffe is also the largest species while the reticulated is the smallest.

Some taxonomists don't like using subspecies. A true phylogenetic species concept does not have subspecies. Either it is a species or it isn't. Biologic Species Concept allows for many subspecies, but the definition of a species itself is quite cloudy. A balance is probably somewhere in between. The ESU (evolutionary significant unit) is probably the way to go here and be done with species vs. subspecies.
 
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