The males have short horns on their head called ossicones, like their closest relative the giraffe, which they can use to fight off leopards. Baby okapis are vulnerable but no easy target. Search for:.
The OCP relies heavily on zoos around the globe to educate the international public about this unique, captivating creature and the importance of its rainforest habitat. Get to know the okapi: Okapi were originally thought to be relatives of the zebra, due to their striped coat. It was later discovered they are the only living relatives of the giraffe. Okapi live in the dense rainforest of the DRC, characterized by high precipitation and little light due to the dense tree canopy.
Their striped coat allows them to blend in with the light shafts produced by the canopy; and their oily, velvety fur repels water. Okapi can live up to 30 years. A sexually dimorphic species- females are typically larger than males by around pounds, while males have ossicones small horns covered in skin and fur.
Okapi are a diurnal species, feeding in the mornings and evenings. The okapi is indeed the only living relative of the giraffe. Like a giraffe, an okapi has very large, upright ears, which catch even slight sounds. Okapis are hard to find in their native habitat: deep forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including Ituri Forest, a dense rainforest.
Okapis are very wary, and their highly developed hearing alerts them to run when they hear humans in the distance. In fact, while indigenous people of the Ituri Forest knew of okapis and would occasionally catch one in their pit traps, scientists did not know of okapis until The secretive nature of okapis and the difficulty most humans have traveling in okapi habitat have made okapis hard to observe. We estimate there might be more than 35, okapis in their native habitat, but no one knows for sure.
Made for a rainforest: The okapi's home is in the tropical rainforest in the northeast region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo formerly Zaire , in Central Africa.
Why does the okapi have zebra-like stripes? These markings, which seem very bold to us, offer great camouflage when an okapi stands in the partial sunlight that filters through its dense rainforest habitat. The stripes may also help a young okapi follow its mother through the dark forest, and they may help adults find each other, too. In a rainforest, there are trees with branches hanging down, as well as roots and tree trunks to dodge.
Okapis need to have shorter legs and necks to help them swerve around these obstacles. Being really tall is not a good idea in a forest! Okapis often travel up to 0. They are generally solitary, unless an adult female has a calf with her. Adult males have home ranges that cover more area, and they can travel up to 2.
The males try to keep other males out of their territories but allow females to travel through in search of food. Both male and female okapis are most active during the afternoon through the evening. Okapis use their prehensile tongue to get food by pulling leaves from trees and into their mouth. The tongue is also an important grooming tool, helping to keep the velvety soft, short coat in tip-top shape.
Okapis have also been seen eating clay and burnt charcoal, probably for minerals. And just like giraffes, sheep, and goats, okapis are ruminants. I smell you: While okapis travel for the most part by themselves within their home ranges, they still have ways of communicating with others whose ranges overlap.
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