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Friendly Okapi
Most of the photos on this page were taken at the Houston Zoo in February 2003.
I was shocked by the okapi's gentleness and friendly nature.
Small children pet the animals and they seemed to return the affection.
Okapi Food Habits
Okapis are diurnal and forage along fixed, well-trodden paths through the forest (Grzimek 1990). They feed primarily on the leaves, buds, and shoots of more than 100 different species of forest vegetation (Bodmer 1992). Many of the plant species fed upon by the okapi are known to be poisonous to humans. Additionally, okapis eat grasses, fruits, ferns, and fungi.
Zebra? No, giraffe cousin
While it doesn't have the Giraffe's long neck and legs, the Okapi does have several matching characteristics: long tongues, cloven hoofs, fur-covered horns on the male, and both giraffe and okapi simultaneously step with the front and hind leg on the same side of the body rather than moving alternate legs on either side.
Tongue
It's midnight blue tongue is about a foot long, and is quite adept at harvesting leaves for dinner. An Okapi tongue is also used for grooming, and is long enough to clean its eyes and ears.
It's tongue felt slightly abrasive like a cat's and sticky.
Recent Find
One of the last mammals "discovered" by the scientific community in 1900, the okapi is an animal so shy and secretive in the dense rainforests of northern Zaire that very little is known of its lifestyle. It is also one of the world's rarest animals in captivity.
While previously known by the native Mbutti people, the western world did not become aware of Okapis until the turn of the 20th century. While in search of Dr. Livingston in Africa, Henry Stanley was told by the Mbutti pygmies of the existence of a horse like animal that they called o'api (the original derivation of the name Okapi).
While Stanly never found an okapi, onw was finally seen by explorer Sir Harry H. Johnston in 1901.
Threats to survival
The okapi has had local protection since 1932 but some hunting continues. Because its range is so limited, its future remains insecure. The elusive nature of the okapi makes it difficult to estimate how many remain in the wild. Civil warfare continues to pose a serious threat to their habitat.
Fortunately, the shy nature of Okapis has limited their exposure to people, and improved their chances for survival. Their home in the Ituri Forest is now a more protected area, but it's the only place in the world that Okapis live. As people continue to encroach on their habitat, and political problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) cause various instabilities, they become more vulnerable to extinction.
The natural enemy of Okapis are leopards and dozens of different parasitic worms.
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Okapi...Zebra? No, okapi! Related to the giraffe, okapis live in Africa's rain forests where they eat leaves, shoots and fruit. The only known living relative of the giraffe, the okapi was first described to western science by P. L. Sclater in 1901. The okapi is the last great mammal to be found The okapi is a dark, reddish brown herbivore with camouflage markings on its hindquarters and legs. It is native to the dense damp forest and lives in seclusion, occasionally forming small family groups. Because okapis have such a secluded habitat, western zoologists did not learn of them until 1901. Okapi are the only living relatives of giraffes. Their markings remind us of zebras. The male possesses small horns on his forehead, similar to the giraffe. The horns are covered with skin that is never shed. Learn more about okapis at these sites: |