Okapi

The okapi animal is also known as the Forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or the zebra giraffe. The Okapi is an artiodactyl mammal which means that it is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Even though the okapi has stripes on their body like the Zebra, they are very closely related to the giraffe. The only living members of the family Giraffidae are the okapi and the giraffe.

The okapi is around 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder and has a body length of 2.5 meters. It weighs between 200 and 350 kg. Its neck is lengthy, and its ears are big and flexible. It has a chocolate to reddish-brown coat that stands out against the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs, as well as white ankles. Male okapis have ossicones, which are horn-like protuberances on their skulls that are less than 15 cm long. Hair whorls are present in females, and ossicones are missing.

Okapis are primarily diurnal but many are found to be closely active for a few hours in the darkness. The Okapis are mainly solitary creatures who only get together to reproduce. Okapis eat tree leaves and buds, grasses, ferns, fruits, and fungus, and are herbivores. Rut and estrus in men and females are not affected by the season. Estrus cycles occur every 15 days in captivity. The gestation cycle lasts around 440 to 450 days, after which a single calf is generally delivered. The juveniles are kept hidden, and nursing is only done once in a while. At three months, children begin eating solid foods, and at six months, they are weaned.

The Okapi animals mainly are the habitat of the canopy forests at the altitude. The okapi is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Habitat loss due to logging and human settlement are two major concerns. Populations have also declined due to extensive hunting for bushmeat, skin, and illicit mining. In 1987, the Okapi Conservation Project was founded to safeguard okapi populations.

In this article, we are going to discuss what is an okapi, its description. okapi habitat, characteristics, and a few of the most important questions related to the okapi animal will also be discussed.

Okapi Evolution and Classification 

• After diverging from the apparently deer-like climacoceratids, the Giraffidae first emerged in Africa during the early Miocene. Giraffids initially radiated across Europe and Asia in the middle Miocene. Another radiation began in the Pliocene and ended in the Pleistocene due to a reduction in variety. Canthumeryx, Giraffokeryx, Palaeotragus, and Samotherium were all significant early giraffids that lived roughly at the same time in the Miocene.

• According to many paleontologists, the Samotherium split into Okapia 18 million years ago and the Giraffe around 12 million years ago. The okapi has sometimes been referred to as the living fossil as it has existed as a species over a long geological time period and morphologically resembles the more primitive forms. A genetic study conducted in the year had shown that the common ancestor of the giraffe and the okapi lived about 12 million years ago. 

• The okapi is considered an elusive and herbivorous animal found in a small pocket of the tropical mountain forest in central Africa. The Okapi, despite its deer-like look, is one of the last living relatives of the Giraffe, the world's tallest mammal. The horizontal stripes on the Okapi's backs, which give this animal a Zebra-like look, are the most remarkable characteristic of this species, along with its unusually long neck compared to its body size.

•  The Okapi is a timid and secretive mammal, so much so that western scientists did not identify it as a unique species until the twentieth century. The Okapi is not an endangered species, despite the fact that it is rarely seen by humans. They are considered to be very numerous in their isolated environments.

Okapi Characteristics

• The Okapi like its distant and much larger ancestors have a long neck that not only helps it to reach leaves that are higher up in the trees but also provides the Okapi with a tool to defend themselves and their territories. 

• The Okapi has a reddish-brown coat of fur with horizontal white striped patterns on its hindquarters and the tips of its legs, which help it blend in with the dense forest. They have robust skin and white ankles with a black patch above each hoof to help protect them from harm. The Okapi has a tall head and black snout, as well as big set-back ears, which help it detect predators quickly.

• The okapi also has a very impressive long tongue that is back in color and it can help to grab and hold leaves of the higher branches of a tree. The unusual appearance of Okapi has given it the title of being called one of the strangest animals alive around the world. 

• The okapi is considered to be a medium-sized giraffid which is usually 1. meters tall at the shoulder and its average body length is about 2.5 centimeters and its weight ranges between 200 to 350 kilograms. The okapi has a very long neck and large but flexible ears. The coat on its body is chocolate to reddish-brown color but it has white horizontal stripes and rings on its legs which are very similar to that of a Zebra. These features which are present on the Okapi serve as an effective camouflage amidst dense vegetation.

• Greyish white on the face, neck, and chest. Interdigital glands are found on all four feet, with the front foot being somewhat bigger. Male okapis have short, hair-covered horn-like structures called ossicones that are similar in appearance and function to giraffe ossicones and are less than 15 cm long. Females are 4.2 cm taller on average, somewhat redder, and lack conspicuous ossicones instead of hair whorls, indicating sexual dimorphism in the okapi.

• The Okapi animal has shown several adaptations to its tropical habitats. There are a number of rod cells in the retina that help in night visions and an efficient olfactory system is also present. The night vision in the Okapi is very much required as it helps them to survive, eat and be cautious of any predator. A strong sense of hearing is present in the okapi animals and it is due to the auditory bullae of the temporal bone. 

• The teeth in the Okapi animals are low crowded and finely cusped and efficiently cut tender foliage. Microbial digestion is aided by the wide cecum and colon, and the fast pace of food transit allows for less cell wall digestion than in other ruminants.

Okapi Distribution and Habitat 

• The Okapi is a creature that lives in the deep tropical rainforests of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where it may be found at altitudes ranging from 500 to 1,000 meters above sea level, however, the bulk of individuals are estimated to live at around 800 meters. They are very timid and secretive animals that rely largely on the dense vegetation surrounding them to keep predators at bay.

• The Okapi may also be found in regions with a slow-moving fresh water supply, but its range is severely restricted by natural barriers, with unsuitable habitats on all four sides trapping these creatures in the Ituri Rainforest, which covers 63,000 square kilometers. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, now covers about a fifth of the rainforest. The Okapi has been seriously threatened by habitat loss, particularly deforestation, in its native location, despite being considered to be common.

Okapi Behavior 

• The Okapi is a diurnal animal which means that they are active during the daytime where they spend the majority of their time roaming set paths through the first in the search of food. 

• The Okapis are solitary creatures with the exception of the time mothers spend with their calves, however, they have been observed to tolerate other people and may forage in small groups for brief periods of time. Okapis have overlapping home ranges, with males tending to occupy a bigger area than females, as evidenced by urinating and rubbing their necks on trees.

• The male Okapis also use their necks to fight with one another to both settle disputes over territory and to compete with other males to mate with a female during the breeding season. Okapis are also known to communicate with one another by making low "chuff" sounds, relying mainly on their hearing in the surrounding forest where they can't see very far.

Okapi Reproduction 

• The male Okapis reach sexual maturity after two years whereas the female okapis reach sexual maturity at about one and a half years. The female Okapi goes into the deep forest after a gestation period of up to 16 months, where she gives birth to a single calf. The Okapi calf, like many other hoofed herbivores, is generally able to stand within half an hour, at which point mother and baby begin looking for a suitable nesting site. They spend the bulk of the following two months in their nest, deep in the undergrowth, which not only aids in the calf's development but also provides crucial protection from hungry predators.

• Despite the fact that the mother Okapi would defend and feed her helpless young, the two are not considered to enjoy the same intimate relationship as many other hoofed animals. Despite the fact that they begin to acquire their white stripes at an early age, juvenile Okapis do not achieve full adult size until they are around three years old. They are typically weaned at the age of six months, however, they may continue to nurse from their mother for up to a year.

• Calves are known to not defecate throughout the first month or two of their lives, which is thought to assist them to evade discovery by predators at their most vulnerable period. Calves' growth rate is rather high in the first several months after birth, then progressively slows. From the age of three months, children begin eating solid foods, and at the age of six months, they are weaned. Males' ossicone development takes a year after birth. The average lifetime of an okapi is 20–30 years.

Okapi Diet 

• Okapi are herbivores which means that they feed on tree leaves and buds, grasses, ferns, fruits, and fungi. The Okapi is considered unique in the Ituri forest as they are the only known mammals that feed solely on the understory vegetation. The Okapis are very much famous for their 18 inch long tongues which they use to eat a variety of plants. The okapi tongue is also used to groom their ears and eyes. 

• The Okapis love to eat in the spaces between the branches of trees. The okapi has been observed eating more than 100 different plant species, some of which are toxic to humans and other animals. None of the 100 species dominate the okapi's diet, according to feces research. Shrubs and lianas are common staple foods. Woody, dicotyledonous plants make up the bulk of the diet; monocotyledonous plants are rarely consumed. The plant families Acanthaceae, Ebenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Loganiaceae, Rubiaceae, and Violaceae are the major food sources for the okapi in the Ituri forest.

• The Okapis spend a great amount of time of their day in search of food which could last for hours or even a day. In search of food, they walk quietly along the well-trodden paths that they use regularly to endure an easier escape from predators.

Okapi Predators and Conservation Status 

• The Okapis live in the secluded regions of the mountain rainforest which surprisingly has very few predators particularly when we compare to similar species. The Leopard, one of the world's largest and most powerful felines and an animal that spends a lot of time sleeping in the trees, is the Okapi's major predator. The Leopard's location above ground allows them to both monitor the surrounding area for prospective food and ambush it from above, unlike other predators that the Okapi's keen hearing would detect moving through the foliage.

• The okapi is listed as endangered by the IUCN. Congolese legislation ensures that it is properly protected. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve and Maiko National Park are home to large populations of okapi, however, their numbers have been steadily declining owing to a variety of challenges. The Rubi Tele Hunting Reserve and the Abumombanzi Reserve are two more places where they may be found. Habitat loss due to logging and human settlement are two major concerns. Population reductions have also been caused by extensive hunting for bushmeat and skin, as well as illicit mining. The existence of illegal armed groups surrounding protected areas has lately surfaced as a concern, impeding conservation and monitoring efforts.

• The Okapi Conservation Project, which began in 1987, seeks to protect okapis while also fostering the expansion of the indigenous Mbuti people. The White Oak Conservation Center and the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens sponsored an international conference of the Okapi Species Survival Plan and the Okapi European Endangered Species Programme in November 2011, with representatives from zoos from the United States, Europe, and Japan in attendance. The goal was to talk about how to handle captive okapis and how to get help for okapi conservation. Okapis are presently housed in a number of zoos across North America and Europe.