Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Giraffidae
Genus & Species: Okapia johnstoni
APPEARANCE
The okapi is the only living relative of the giraffe and was one of the last
large mammals to be discovered in Africa. They are smaller than the giraffe,
only being 5-5.6 ft tall at the shoulders. The females are usually larger than
the males. The body length is 6.6-7 ft and the tail is 12-17 in. long. The tail
ends in a tuft. Okapis weigh 462-550 lbs. 2-5 skin covered horns called
ossicorns are located on the forehead. They are only small knobs on the
females. The coat is a deep purplish, reddish, or blackish brown. The face is
white with dark grey on the crown and forehead. The muzzle is brown. The
legs are white with black stripes above the knees. A black line runs down the
front of the forelegs. 11-19 white stripes are located on the haunches, and 3-
4 more white stripes are found on the upper part of the forelegs. The skin is
thick and rubbery. The tongue is long and coloured blue-black and is used
to clean its eyes, ears and nose. The neck is thick and the ears are large. The
hooves are cloven. The body is stout and resembles a horse.
Okapis are usually silent, making only a soft cough during rut. The calves
whistle, bleat, and cough. Okapis have a life span of 30 years.
HABITAT
Okapis are found in the thick undergrowth of the Ituri Forest in
northeastern Zaire. They are usually found near a source of water. They are
solitary creatures, only rarely traveling in small family groups and getting
together with others only to mate.
FOOD
Okapis feed on shoots, buds, ferns, fruits, grasses, leaves, and seeds. They
get minerals by eating a sulfurous clay found along the riverbanks. They are
ruminants like cows and giraffes.
BREEDING
Sexual maturity is reached at age 2 for females and even later for males. A
mating pair of okapis stay together for 2-3 weeks. The female goes in heat
for 40-50 days, and will go in heat again during pregnancy. The gestation
period is 435-499 days, much the same as the giraffe. One calf is born
between August and October. The calf weighs 35-44 lbs at birth. The mother
does not lick the calf's bottom to get it to defecate, a rarity among
ruminants; the calf may not defecate for up to 30 days after birth. The
young have been known to nurse from two different females.
Okapis are particularly hard to breed in captivity, the first one being born
in Septmeber of 1954 at Antwerp Zoo. It lived for only one day. Breeding
programs have been successful in other areas.
ENEMIES
The main enemy of the okapi is the leopard. They are also hunted by
poachers and Wambutti pygmies who use their skins as tribal headbands.
The females are very protective of their young and will do anything
necessary to scare off a predator. Okapis are considered to be rare.
A NEW ANIMAL
Okapis were unknown to science until 1901, when Sir Johnston traveled to
the Ituri Forest to investigate rumors of a strange donkey-like animal with
striped legs. He managed to obtain skins at a Belgian Fort and sent them to
the Zoological Society of London. They examined the skins and announced
the discovery of a new species of horse and named it Equus johnstoni. Later
Johnston stumbled across the tracks of an okapi, but they were unlike any
horse tracks as the hooves were cloven. Two skulls and a complete skin was
then discovered, and it was found out that the okapi was actually a forest
giraffe, not a horse at all.
The term okapi comes from the Wambutti word for it, o'api. It had been
previously called the atti.
RELATIVES
The okapi is related to the giraffe.
RESOURCES CITED
1. www.pathcom.com/~dhuffman/okapi.html
2. kauila.k12.hi.us/~grsix457/africa/TeamB/okapi.htm
3. "Okapi", Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1997, Microsoft
Corporation
4. "Okapi", Webster's Family Encyclopedia, 1995, Helicon Pub Ltd
5. "Okapi", Funk & Wagnall's Wildlife Encyclopedia, pg 1547 vol 13, 1974,
BPC Pub, USA
6. "Okapi", Animal Card, 1975, Editions Rencontre, Italy
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