Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing the okapi. Though it was originally believed to be
related to horses and zebras, it's now known that the okapi is the only living relative of
the giraffe. These animals were first described by science at the beginning of the 20th century.
It might be difficult to imagine an animal about the size of a horse escaping science
for that long, but that just goes to show how shy this ungulate truly is.
In fact, for decades between their naming and the time a live okapi was observed by science,
people considered it a cryptid like Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster!
Female okapis are larger than males. These mammals stand about five feet (1.5m) tall
at the shoulder and weigh anywhere from 400 to over 700 pounds (181-318kg)! The two sexes can
be told apart by their horns, which are known as ossicones. Females don't have these, but males
have distinct ossicones that face backward so they don't get tangled up in forest vegetation,
much like a bongo's horns! Speaking of bongos, okapi could be confused with these animals because
they dwell in the forest. They could also be confused with zebras for their striped legs.
Okapis have a purply body with bold, zebra-like stripes on their legs. These
may help with breaking up their outline in the rainforest, but they are also known as "follow
me" stripes because they are believed to help a baby okapi follow their mother through the forest.
Okapis live in dense rainforests at 1,000 to over 3,000 feet (300-900m) above sea level.
Their velvety fur is actually full of oils that repel water and keep them dry even on rainy days!
Okapis travel well worn paths in their jungle habitat and use scent as a means of communication.
Outside of the breeding season, these animals are solitary.
They produce a thick, tar-like substance from their feet which releases while they walk.
Other okapis can smell this to tell if someone has been walking near them recently. Males have
larger territories and allow females to travel through them, but prefer other males to stay out.
Okapis are endangered and live in a small part of central sub-Saharan Africa. Habitat
loss has devastated their numbers over the past few decades, and they are believed to
have lost upwards of half their population since the end of the twentieth century.
Predators to okapis include leopards, servals, and golden cats.
These mammals have large ears that can rotate independently to help them listen for threats
heading their way. In fact, they can listen both forward and behind due to their flexible ears!
When ready to mate, female okapis walk for hours in search of a male. The pair will meet up and
sniff each other's genitals before copulation. The male may lick her back during this process.
After mating, the female leaves. Male okapis don't take part in raising their young.
It takes about fifteen months for an okapi to gestate. She'll give birth in a dense part of
the forest, standing throughout her whole labor. Her baby can stand within its first thirty minutes
of life and starts eating soon after. Okapi babies nurse for six to twelve months but they
begin eating solid food once they're almost a month old. They reach adult size around three
years of age. Most of the information based on okapis comes from those raised in captivity.
Here they range from a 15 to 30 year lifespan, but it's unknown how long they live in the wild.
Like a giraffe, okapis have a long, blue tongue. This can reach a foot (30.5cm) in length and is
used to gather leaves, leaf buds, flowers, fruits, and more. Fascinatingly, okapis love areas where
trees have recently fallen. The sunlight that shines through the hole in the forest canopy
encourages the growth of easy to access food on the forest understory where the okapis eat.
These hooved mammals also eat clay and charcoal for nutrients and they've been known to lick up
guano from trees. Guano is also known as bat poop! Like a giraffe, an okapi spreads their
front legs and bends its knees to reach the water below. Though they don't have the iconic long neck
seen in giraffes, an okapi has the same number of vertebrae as their giraffe family members!
They also walk the same with both legs per side moving in unison.
For more facts on the okapi, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if
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