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, hunt them for food and their skin, 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 the Western world until the 20th century, but it may have been shown as early as the fifth century BCE in ancient carvings. 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 in his travels.

British explorer Sir Harry Johnston learned about the okapi from local people and collected pieces of skin and a skull. From the skull, scientists recognized the okapi as a relative of the giraffe. In 1901, the species was officially named Okapia johnstoni. The name Okapia comes from local words for the animal, and johnstoni honors Johnston for his help in studying it.

Evolution

The okapi family, Giraffidae, first appeared in Africa during the early Miocene period. Over time, these animals spread to Europe and Asia. The okapi and giraffe share a common 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 similar to older forms of its family.

Description

The okapi is a medium-sized relative of the giraffe, standing about 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder. It has a long neck, large flexible ears, and a coat that ranges from chocolate brown to reddish brown. The okapi has distinctive white stripes on its legs and ankles, much like a zebra, which help it hide in dense forests. Males have short, hair-covered horn-like structures called ossicones, while females are slightly taller and redder, lacking these structures.

Okapi have special adaptations for their tropical forest home. They have excellent night vision thanks to many rod cells in their eyes, and a strong sense of smell and hearing. Their teeth are designed for eating soft leaves, and their large cecum and colon help digest this food efficiently.

The okapi is much smaller than the giraffe and looks more like certain deer and cattle. Unlike giraffes, only male okapi have ossicones. Both okapi and giraffe walk in a special way, moving both legs on the same side of the body at the same time, and both have long, black tongues useful for grabbing leaves and grooming.

Ecology and behaviour

Okapis are mostly active during the day but may stay out for 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, leaving a brown sticky substance.

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 that weighs between 14 and 30 kilograms. Before giving birth, the female’s belly gets bigger, and she may have some fluid come out. Giving birth takes about 3 to 4 hours, and the mother stands the whole time. After birth, she eats the afterbirth and cleans the baby a lot. The baby’s milk has a lot of protein but not much fat.

Baby okapis can stand within half an hour of being born. They look a bit different from adults at first, with long hairs around their eyes, a long strip of hair on their back, and long white hairs in their stripes. These features change after about a year to look like adult okapis. Mothers keep their babies hidden and nurse them only a few times. Baby okapis don’t poop for the first month or two, which may help keep them safe from predators when they are very young. Babies start eating solid food at 3 months and are fully weaned at 6 months. Male okapis grow their ossicone (a bone on their heads) one year after they are born. 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. Studies from the late 1980s found about half an okapi per square kilometre in some forests. They were seen in Virunga National Park in 2008.

Status

Threats and conservation

The okapi is considered endangered by the IUCN. It is protected by law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Important places where okapis live include the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and Maiko National Park. However, their numbers are decreasing because of habitat loss from logging and human settlements. Hunting for meat and skin, along with illegal mining, also threatens their survival. Recently, armed groups near protected areas have made it hard to protect and monitor okapis.

The Okapi Conservation Project, started in 1987, works to protect okapis and support the Mbuti people. In 2011, zoos from the US, Europe, and Japan met to discuss how to manage okapis in captivity and support conservation efforts.

Okapis in zoos

About 100 okapis live in accredited zoos that follow strict care guidelines. Programs help make sure these okapis have genetic diversity. The Bronx Zoo was the first in North America to have an okapi in 1937 and has had many successful births. The San Diego Zoo has also had many okapi births since 1956. Many other zoos in North America, Europe, and Asia also care for and breed okapis.

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