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Okapi - OKAPIA JOHNSTONI
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Okapi": "Okapi" is a Central African word for the animal.
Location:Central Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Equatorial forest near waterways.
Description: The coat pattern is distinctive. The sides of the buttocks and upper limbs are barred with black and white stripes varying in width. The shape of the body is reminiscent of that of the giraffe because the hindquarters are fairly low, but the neck is much shorter. Also like the giraffe, it has a very long tongue. The legs are noticeably long in proportion to the torso. In males, there are two small horns on the forehead, which point backward and are covered with hair. Length of head and body about 6.5 feet, shoulder height about 5.5 feet, weight up to 500 pounds.
Behavior: This is an extremely timid and elusive animal. It is mainly nocturnal and lives alone or in pairs in the densest parts of the forest. It feeds on plants, fruit, shoots, and leaves, foraging with its long tongue.
Reproduction:Little is known about the reproductive biology of the okapi, but it is believed to have a gestation of about 440 days. A calf is born in August through October.
Note: The only other living member of the family of Giraffes, this species was not discovered until the beginning of this century because of its retiring nature and the inaccessibility of its habitat. Its distribution is more or less limited to the Ituri forest in northeastern Zaire.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
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