okapi
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What is an okapi?
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a cud-chewing hoofed mammal in the family Giraffidae, along with the giraffe. It serves as a flagship species for the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The okapi lives in the rainforests of the Congo region and was unknown to science until 1901.
Although related to the giraffe, the okapi has a shorter neck and legs. Its coat is sleek and deep brown, almost purple, with black and white horizontal stripes on its buttocks, thighs, and the tops of its forelegs.
The okapi is a shy, solitary, elusive animal that lives among dense cover and browses on leaves, fungi, and fruit. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers the okapi an endangered species.
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Where do okapis live in the wild?
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is native to the rainforests of the Congo region, residing primarily in the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fewer than 4,500 okapis are estimated to live in the wild. The species is most concentrated in the forests of the Ituri, Aruwimi, and Nepoko basins.
The okapi is endangered because of hunting for its skins and meat and the destruction of its habitat. Conservation efforts are underway in the Maiko National Park and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
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What does an okapi look like?
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a cud-chewing hoofed mammal related to the giraffe, but with a shorter neck and legs. Its coat is a sleek, deep brown, almost purple, with pale white cheeks. The forehead and ears can have a dull reddish tint.
A striking feature of the okapi is the black and white horizontal stripes on their buttocks, thighs, and the tops of their forelegs. The lower parts of their legs are white with black rings above the hooves. Male okapis can grow to about 8 feet long and stand roughly 5 feet tall at the shoulder, weighing between 440 and 660 pounds. Females are slightly taller and heavier. Both sexes have large eyes and ears, and a long, prehensile tongue. The males have short, skin-covered horns.
Okapis are endangered and native to the rainforests of the Congo region.
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How is the okapi related to other animals like giraffes?
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is closely related to the giraffe and is the only other living member of the family Giraffidae. Both are cud-chewing, hoofed mammals of Africa in the order Artiodactyla. Giraffidae diverged from other artiodactyls, such as cattle, antelope, and deer, approximately 34 million years ago.
Although the okapi is related to the giraffe, it has a shorter neck and shorter legs. The giraffe is the tallest of all land animals, with males reaching 18 feet in height. In contrast, male okapis grow to be about 8 feet long and stand about 5 feet at the shoulder.
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What do okapis eat and how do they find their food?
The okapi is a shy, solitary mammal that lives in the rainforests of the Congo region. Okapis browse for food under dense cover, using their long tongues to strip leaves from branches. They have a varied diet that includes leaves, fungi, and fruits. They also supplement their diet with clay, burned wood, and bat guano.
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Why is the okapi considered a threatened species and what is being done to protect it?
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers the okapi an endangered species. Ecologists estimate that fewer than 4,500 individuals live in the wild and that the population fell by more than 40 percent between 1995 and 2007.
Okapis are hunted for their skins and meat and have declined sharply in areas where local hunters rely on cable snares to capture their prey. Large-scale intensive disturbances, such as logging and human settlement, reduce their available habitat.
Efforts to preserve the fauna and flora are largely confined to the Maiko National Park on the southern edge of the Ituri and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve to the northeast.
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okapi, (Okapia johnstoni), cud-chewing hoofed mammal that is placed along with the giraffe in the family Giraffidae (order Artiodactyla). It serves as the flagship species (a popular species that has become a symbol for the conservation of a region) for the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Found in the rainforests of the Congo region, the okapi was unknown to science until 1901, when British explorer Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston sent the first bits of hide to the British Museum. However, British American explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley had made the first report of the animal as early as 1890.
Although it is related to the giraffe, the okapi has a shorter neck and shorter legs. The coat of the okapi is sleek and deep brown, almost purple, with the sides of the face pale white, and the forehead and ears may have a dull reddish cast. The buttocks, thighs, and tops of the forelegs are horizontally striped with black and white, and the lower parts of the legs are white with black rings above the hooves. Male okapis average about 2.5 metres (about 8 feet) long and stand about 1.5 metres (about 5 feet) at the shoulder. Adult males typically weigh 200–300 kg (about 440–660 pounds). Adult females are slightly taller and weigh 25–50 kg (55–110 pounds) more than adult males. The eyes and ears of both sexes are large, and the tongue is long and prehensile. The male has short horns that are completely covered by skin except at the tips. Most females do not possess horns, though they often display knobby bumps in their place.
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The okapi is a shy, solitary, elusive animal that lives among dense cover and browses on leaves, fungi, and fruit. It uses its long tongue to strip leaves from branches and supplements its diet with clay, burned wood, and bat guano. Okapis are preyed upon by leopards (Panthera pardus). Captive okapis may succumb to infection from Monodontella giraffae, a parasitic nematode that damages their bile ducts.
Okapis have been exhibited in many zoological gardens and have been successfully bred in captivity. Gestation lasts 14–16 months, and breeding females produce a single calf, which weighs 14–30 kg (about 30–65 pounds) at birth. Okapis may live as long as 20–30 years. Females become sexually mature at about age 2, whereas males reach this stage at age 3.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers the okapi an endangered species. Ecologists estimate that fewer than 4,500 individuals live in the wild and that the population fell by more than 40 percent between 1995 and 2007. The species is most concentrated in the forests of the Ituri, Aruwimi, and Nepoko basins. Although okapis are restricted to older rainforests characterized by closed high canopies, they can tolerate limited temporary human disturbances (such as those that accompany small-scale seed- and fruit-harvesting operations) that occur within these areas. However, ecologists note that okapis are probably vulnerable to large-scale intensive disturbances, such as logging and human settlement, that reduce their available habitat. Okapis are hunted for their skins and meat, and they declined sharply in areas where local hunters relied on the use of cable snares to capture their prey.