Okapi

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Okapi

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is an unusual mammal of the Ituri Rainforest in central Africa. Although it bears striped markings reminiscent of the zebra, it is the only living close relative of the giraffe. The resemblance it bears to both the zebra and giraffe led some to believe it is a cross between the two, but despite the appearance of certain similarities, it is in fact not closely related to the zebra. Native just to the Ituri forests situated in the north east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it was known only to the local people until 1901.

Characteristics

Okapis have dark bodies, with striking horizontal white stripes on the back legs, making them resemble zebras from a distance. These markings are thought to be "follow me" markings intended to help young follow their mothers through the dense rain forest, and also serve as camouflage. The body shape is similar to that of the giraffe, except that okapis have much shorter necks. Both species have very long (apx. 30 cm or 12 inch), flexible, blue tongues that they use to strip leaves and buds from trees. The tongue of an okapi is long enough for the animal to wash its eyelids and clean its ears: it is one of the few mammals that can lick its own ears. Male okapis have short, skin-covered horns. They have large ears which help them detect their predator, the leopard.

Okapis are 1.9 to 2.5 m (8.1 ft) long and stand 1.5 to 2.0 m (6.5 ft) high at the shoulder. They have a 30 to 42 cm (12 to 17 in) long tail. Their weight ranges from 200 to 250 kg (465 to 550 lb).

In addition to tree leaves and buds, okapis eat grass, ferns, fruit, and fungi.

Okapis are largely nocturnal and essentially solitary, coming together only to breed. Only one infant is born at a time, between August and October, weighing between 14 to 30 kg (30 and 65 lb), after a gestational period of from 421 to 457 days. The young are nursed for up to ten months, reaching maturity at between four to five years of age. Their life span in captivity ranges from 15 to over 30 years.

Okapis are unusual in their ability to sleep for only 5 minutes in a 24 hour period and yet remain at peak alertness.

Okapis have several methods of communicating their territory, including scent glands on each foot that leave behind a tar-like substance which signals their passage, as well as urine marking. Males are protective of their territory, but allow females to pass through their domain for forage.

History

The okapi was known to the ancient Egyptians; shortly after its "discovery" by Europeans, an ancient carved image of the animal was discovered in Egypt. For years, Europeans in Africa had heard of an animal that they came to call 'the African unicorn'. In his travelogue of exploring the Congo, Stanley himself mentioned a kind of donkey that the natives called the 'atti', which scholars later identified as the okapi. Explorers may have seen the fleeting view of the striped backside as the animal fled through the bushes, leading to speculation that the okapi was some sort of rainforest zebra. When the British governor of Uganda, Sir Harry Johnston, discovered some pygmy inhabitants of the Congo being abducted by a German showman for exhibition in Europe, he rescued them and promised to return them to their homes. The grateful pygmies fed Johnston's curiosity about the animal mentioned in Stanley's book. Johnston was puzzled by the okapi tracks the natives showed him; while he had expected to be on the trail of some sort of forest-dwelling horse, the tracks were of some cloven-hoofed beast. Though Johnston did not see an okapi himself, he did manage to obtain pieces of striped skin and eventually a skull. From this skull, the okapi was correctly classified as a relative of the giraffe; in 1902, the species was formally recognized as Okapia johnstoni. The first live specimen in Europe arrived in Antwerp in 1918. The first okapi to arrive in North America was at the Bronx Zoo, via Antwerp, in 1937. The first Okapi born in captivity was at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, which directs the Okapi Species Survival Plan for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Okapi are now reasonably common in zoos in North America and Europe.

Status

Although okapis are not classified as endangered, they are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching. Conservation work in the Congo includes the continuing study of okapi behavior, which led to the creation in 1992 of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The Congo Civil War threatened both the wildlife and the conservation workers in the Reserve.

On June 8, 2006, scientists reported that evidence of surviving okapis in Congo's Virunga National Park had been discovered. This had been the first official sighting since 1959, after nearly half a century. ^*

Etymology

The species name okapia derives from the native name o'api, while the species epithet (johnstoni) is in recognition of the explorer Sir Harry Johnston, who organized the expedition that first acquired an okapi specimen for science from the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the only place where an okapi can be found in the wild.

Trivia

The obscurity of the Okapi led the Society for Cryptozoology to adopt it as an emblem.
In the original Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series, Arthur Dent's brother was said to have been nibbled to death by an Okapi. The exact circumstances that brought this fate about were left unclear.

References

Background

BBC - Science & Nature - Wildfacts - Okapi
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol 15: Mammals IV, p.400.

News

Media

Pictures

Image:Okapi.bristol.600pix.jpg|Okapi at Bristol Zoo Image:Okapi1.jpg|A pair of okapis Image:okapi (head).jpg|Okapi with tongue extended, specimen at the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC Image:okapitongue.jpg|Male okapi with tongue extended at Bristol Zoo Gardens, England. Image:Aa 2006 05 10 okapis.jpg|2 okapis at Chester Zoo, England.

Video

Video of the Okapia johnstoni at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Even-toed ungulates | Endangered species | Fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Fauna of Sudan

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