Okapi

The okapi (/oʊˈkɑːpi/; Okapia johnstoni) is a special kind of mammal that lives in the northeast part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. Sometimes people call it the forest giraffe, zebra giraffe, or Congolese giraffe. It is the only species in the genus Okapia. Even though it looks a bit like a zebra with its striped legs, it is actually most closely related to the giraffe. The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae.

Okapis are about as tall as a big dog, standing around 1.5 meters (about 4 feet 11 inches) at the shoulder. They have long necks and big, flexible ears. Their fur is a rich chocolate to reddish brown, with beautiful white stripes and rings on their legs. Male okapis have special bone-like bumps on their heads called ossicones, while females have unique swirls of hair on their heads.

These animals mainly live in the daytime but might come out a little at night too. They usually live alone, only meeting up to have babies. Okapis eat leaves, buds, grasses, fruits, and even fungi. They are very careful to stay safe in their forest homes, which are tall trees covering the ground like a roof. Sadly, okapis are endangered because people cut down trees and mine in their habitats. The Okapi Conservation Project began in 1987 to help protect these wonderful creatures.

Etymology and taxonomy

The okapi was unknown to people in the Western world until the 1900s, but it may have appeared in carvings as early as 500 years before Christ. Europeans in Africa heard stories about an animal they called the African unicorn. It became well known after explorer Henry Morton Stanley wrote about it.

British explorer Sir Harry Johnston heard about the okapi from local people. He collected pieces of skin and a skull. Scientists used the skull to recognize the okapi as a relative of the giraffe. In 1901, the species was named Okapia johnstoni. The name Okapia comes from local words, and johnstoni honors Johnston for helping to study it.

Evolution

The okapi family, Giraffidae, first appeared in Africa during a time called the early Miocene. Over time, these animals spread to Europe and Asia. The okapi and giraffe share an ancestor that lived about 11.5 million years ago. The okapi is sometimes called a living fossil because it has existed for a very long time and looks like older versions of its family.

Description

The okapi is a relative of the giraffe. It stands about 1.5 meters tall and has a long neck and large ears. Its coat is brown, with white stripes on its legs, like a zebra. These stripes help it hide in forests.

Males have short, bony horns covered in hair, called ossicones. Females are a bit taller and redder, and they do not have ossicones.

Okapi are well adapted to life in tropical forests. They have excellent night vision because of special cells in their eyes. They also have a strong sense of smell and hearing. Their teeth are made for eating soft leaves, and their large cecum and colon help them digest this food.

The okapi is smaller than the giraffe and looks more like some deer and cattle. Only male okapi have ossicones. Both okapi and giraffe walk by moving both legs on the same side of their body at the same time. They also have long, black tongues for grabbing leaves and grooming.

Ecology and behaviour

Okapis are mostly active during the day but sometimes stay out a few hours at night. They usually live alone, only coming together to have babies. Males and females have different areas they live in, with males covering more ground than females. Males often mark their space with urine, while females use the same spots to leave droppings. Okapis clean themselves a lot, especially around their ears and necks, and they like to rub their necks on trees.

Males protect their areas but let females pass through to find food. When it’s time to have babies, males will visit the females. Even though okapis are calm, they can kick or push with their heads if they feel threatened. They don’t have very good vocal cords, so they mainly make three sounds: a “chuff” to stay in touch, a “moan” by females when they want to mate, and a “bleat” by babies when they are upset. The main animal that tries to hunt okapis is the leopard.

Diet

Okapis eat only plants, such as leaves, buds, branches, grasses, ferns, fruits, and fungi. They are special because they are the only animals in their forest that eat plants growing close to the ground. They use their long tongues, which can be up to 18 inches, to pick the plants they like. Okapis like to eat in open spots where trees have fallen. They eat more than 100 different kinds of plants, some of which can be poisonous to people and other animals. Their favorite foods are shrubs and climbing plants. The plants they eat most often belong to families like Acanthaceae, Ebenaceae, and Rubiaceae.

Reproduction

Female okapis can have babies when they are about one and a half years old, and males when they are two years old. They don’t have a special time of year to mate. When a male and female are ready, they circle each other, smell and lick one another, and the male shows interest by stretching his neck and moving his head. Then they mate.

The time from when a female becomes pregnant until she gives birth is about 440 to 450 days. Usually, she has one baby. Before giving birth, the female’s belly gets bigger. Giving birth takes about 3 to 4 hours, and the mother stands the whole time. After birth, she cleans the baby a lot. The baby’s milk has a lot of protein.

Baby okapis can stand within half an hour of being born. Mothers keep their babies hidden and nurse them only a few times. Babies start eating solid food at 3 months and are fully weaned at 6 months. Okapis can live for 20 to 30 years.

Distribution and habitat

The okapi lives only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly north and east of the Congo River. You can find them in places like Maiko National Park, the Ituri rainforest, and areas near Lake Tele and Ebola. There are also smaller groups west and south of the Congo River, such as in the Wamba and Epulu areas. They no longer live in Uganda.

Okapis prefer tall canopy forests between 500 and 1,500 metres above sea level. They sometimes go to areas that flood in the rainy season but avoid forests close to water, swamps, and places where people live. During the wet season, they visit rocky hills that have special plants not found elsewhere. They were seen in Virunga National Park in 2008.

Status

Threats and conservation

The okapi is endangered. Laws in the Democratic Republic of the Congo protect them. Okapis live in places like the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and Maiko National Park. Their numbers are falling because people cut down trees and build homes. Hunting for meat and skin, and illegal mining, also harm them. Sometimes armed groups make it hard to keep okapis safe.

The Okapi Conservation Project began in 1987 to help protect okapis and support the Mbuti people. In 2011, zoos from the US, Europe, and Japan talked about how to care for okapis in zoos and help protect them in the wild.

Okapis in zoos

About 100 okapis live in zoos that follow special care rules. These zoos work to keep the okapi family strong. The Bronx Zoo was the first in North America to have an okapi in 1937 and has had many okapi babies. The San Diego Zoo has also had many okapi babies since 1956. Many zoos in North America, Europe, and Asia care for and breed okapis.

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