Rumen protozoa of the giraffe with a description of two new species

Summary An analysis was carried out on the rumen ciliate population of giraffe. Eight giraffe shot on the Timbavati and adjoining private nature reserves in the north eastern Transvaal, South Africa, were sampled during 1973. Twenty‐six species of ciliates were found in the giraffe rumen. Two new species were found and they are described viz. Entodinium longicorpum sp.n. and Eodinium bispinosum sp.n. The genus Ento‐dinium with eleven species formed 41% of the total protozoa population. The holotrichs formed 19%, the genus Enoploplastron 16% and Eodinium 11% of the population.