Palaeontologists have identified a new species of extinct miniature giraffe from fossils found in a karst cave on the island of Naxos. Standing only 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder, the Giraffa cycladensis is a textbook example of insular dwarfism, where large species evolve to be smaller due to limited resources on islands.
The fossils, dating to the Early Pliocene, show that the species had adapted to a diet of low-growing shrubs rather than tree canopies. This find significantly expands our understanding of the diversity of megafauna in the Mediterranean before the islands were separated from the mainland by rising seas. Researchers are now investigating whether these animals were contemporary with early hominin ancestors who may have crossed the region.