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Okapi biography, Okapi discography
Type locality: Zaire, Semliki Forest, Mundala.The lower legs are white, with dark garters
at the joints.The body is sloped, with
the forequarters much higher than the rear.Young per Birth: 1
Weaning: After 6 months.Sexual Maturity: Females at 2 years, males later.Young are born from August to October.While usually silent, okapis may make a soft cough
during the rut.Young animals, on the other hand, have a wide repertoire
of noises, including coughs, bleats, and whistles.Dense, moist jungle near water throiughout the Ituri Forest in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.The okapi is not believed to be in danger, although accurate population
assessments are difficult in the dense jungle.The only known living relative of the giraffe, the okapi was first described
to western science by P.Ituri Forest of the Congo in 1890, exposing the existence of the
okapi in his book "In Darkest Africa".Zoological Society of London
in 1900.Johnston wrote back to the Zoological Society of London,
sending the priceless cargo along.Okapi is a corruption of the native name
o'api.IEA (Institute of Applied Ecology) 1998.Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.The Lost Ark: new and rediscovered animals of the Twentieth
Century.Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN.Forage selection, forest availability, and
use of space by Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) a rainforest giraffe in Zaire.What's in a Scientific Name?They prefer altitudes between 500 and 1,000 m, although they may venture above 1,000 m in the eastern montane rainforests.Hoyo, in the upper Ituri.Soudan to the north, and open woodlands to the south.Okapis are most common in the Wamba and Epulu areas (Bodmer 1992).Habitat
Okapis occur in the dense rainforests at middle elevations within their range.The neck is relatively long in comparison to that of other ruminants, and the ears are large and flexible.The unique color pattern of the okapi allows it to disappear into the background of dense vegetation and rotting leaves where it lives (Grzimek 1990).In addition, the walking gait of the okapi closely resembles that of a giraffe.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 like other ungulates (Dagg, 1960).In the wild, okapis are solitary, coming together primarily for mating.Okapi courtship and mating rituals are known only from observations done in zoos.Partners begin courtship by circling, sniffing, and licking eachother.After mating, the male and female part (Grzimek 1990).Young spend the first day or two of life following the mother around and exploring the environment.After this, they find a suitable hiding spot and make a nest.During the hiding stage, young nurse relatively infrequently and do not defecate.Weaning occcurrs at about 6 months, although young may continue to suckle for more than a year.Young males begin developing horns at one year of age, and both males and females reach adult size at about three years.The okapi's lifespan is about 30 years in captivity, but data from wild populations is unavailable (Bodmer 1992).They have overlapping home ranges of several square kilometers and typically occur at densities of about 0.Although they are not social animals, okapis tolerate eachother in the wild and may even feed in small groups for short periods of time.Knowledge of okapi social behavior comes primarily from observations of captive animals.Males appear to mark with urine, and both males and females mark by rubbing their necks on trees.Okapis seem to exhibit several aggressive behaviors including kicking and headthrowing.In captivity, dominant animals hold their necks straight and heads higher than subordinates, and the placing of the neck and head on the ground is a clear sign of submission.In addition, social grooming and play behavior seem to be common for both juveniles and adults.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.Examination of okapi feces has revealed that the charcoal from trees burnt by lightning is consumed as well.Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Immediately following their discovery in 1900, zoos around the world attempted to obtain okapis from the wild.These initial attempts were accompanied by a high mortality rate due to the rigors of traveling thousands of miles by boat and by train.In more recent years, shipment by airplane has proven more successful.Today, many zoos keep and breed okapis, and many people visit these zoos each year to see them (Grzimek 1990).More recently, the okapi has been extirpated from Uganda and, since 1933, protected by law in Zaire.Despite its patchy distribution, the okapi is common in much of its current range and is therefore not listed as a threatened species by international agreement.However, habitat loss due to deforestation as well as poaching continue to restrict the range of the species and take their toll on the population.Another great danger to the okapi is lack of knowledge about it outside of zoos.ContributorsEric Palkovacs (author), University of Michigan.Gaits of the Giraffe and Okapi.To cite this page:
Palkovacs, E.Disclaimer:
The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students.ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does
it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we
describe.While ADW staff and contributors provide
references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot
necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.Number of young at birth: usually 1
Size at birth: about 2.They are fed onions once a week.The okapi is indeed the only living relative of the giraffe.Like giraffes, okapis have very large, upright ears, which catch even slight sounds, helping them to avoid trouble.Okapis are hard to find in the wild.Their natural habitat is the Ituri Forest, a dense rain forest in central Africa.Okapis are very wary, and their highly developed hearing alerts them to run when they hear humans in the distance.In fact, while natives of the Ituri Forest knew of okapis and would occasionally catch one in their pit traps, scientists did not know of the animal until 1900.The secretive nature of okapis and the difficulty most humans have of traveling in their habitat have made okapis hard to observe in the wild.Therefore, researchers can only estimate how many okapis live there.It is believed that there are currently about 25,000 okapis in the wild.The stripes may also help young okapis follow their mothers through the dark forest, and they may help adult okapis find each other, too.In a rain forest, 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 a half mile (0.The males try to keep other males out of their territories but
will allow females to travel through in search of food.Okapis have also been seen eating
clay and burnt charcoal, probably for minerals.While okapis travel for the most part by themselves within their home ranges, they still have ways of communicating with others whose ranges overlap.By checking the ground, an okapi can tell if another okapi has been there.Normally silent, female okapis vocalize only when they are ready to breed.Okapi newborns can stand up within 30 minutes of birth and will nurse for the first time within an hour of birth.They have the same coloring as an adult but have a short fringe of hair along the spine, which generally disappears by the time they are 12 to 14 months old.Okapi calves defecate (poop) for the first time between
four and eight weeks of age.Africa and the continued loss of habitat threaten
the beautiful okapi.Okapi pictures by Elfriede Jettmar.Okapi
(Okapia johnstoni)
Looks kind of like a zebra, or maybe a horse, right?Well, the okapi is
actually more closely related to the giraffe!Like the giraffe, the okapi has a
very long tongue that can reach out and pull tender new leaves off forest trees
(it can even use its tongue to groom its ears!The okapi isn't nearly as tall as the giraffe.It's also a very hard to study because its stripes and dark
color help to hide it in the forest and its quick speed allows it to make a
fast getaway whenever it senses danger.The rain forests in northern Zaire are the okapi's main habitat, where this
animal mostly roams alone and is protected by the government.Still, the okapi
faces threats from commercial poaching and habitat loss due to increased human
settlement.Most okapis seen in zoos have been obtained from captive breeding
programs rather than having been taken from the wild.This nocturnal (most active at night) animal was only discovered by scientists in the early 1900's.Okapi have a life span of 15 to 20 years in captivity.The neck is shorter than that of a giraffe, and the okapi is much smaller than the giraffe.Family Giraffidae (giraffes and okapi), Genus Okapia, species johnstoni .Enter one or more words, or
a short phrase.The project uses and promotes open standards, where they exist.Participation
The Okapi project is hosted on SourceForge.Anyone is welcome to join and offer contributions.For more information on this topic, please contact
the Okapi Framework administrator.Using open standards for as many formats as possible increases interoperability.Whenever possible the Okapi Framework make use of existing standards.See the Components page for more information.ENLASO Corporation has donated a large portion of the .Brooks Kline did the Okapi Framework logo.Project's Team members are contributing time and ongoing efforts to the cause.
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