Okapi description. Okapi forest giraffe. Range, habitats

Description of okapi

Okapia johnstoni - Johnston's okapi, or simply okapi, is the only artiodactyl of the genus Okapia of the same name, which is part of the giraffe family. However, the most noticeable similarities are observed not so much with giraffes, but with their ancestors, as well as with zebras (in terms of color) and horses (in terms of physique).

Appearance

Okapi is bizarrely beautiful - the velvety reddish-chocolate fur on the head, sides and rump suddenly gives way on the legs to a white tone with uneven black stripes that copy. The tail is moderate (30–40 cm), ending in a tassel. Most of all, okapi resembles an exotically colored horse, which has acquired small horns (ossicones) with keratinized tips that are replaced annually.

This is a large artiodactyl, almost 2 m long, weighing up to 2.5 centners in adulthood with a height at the withers of 1.5–1.72 m. The top of the head and ears repeat the chocolate background of the body, but the muzzle (from the base of the ears to the neck) painted white, with which the large dark eyes. Okapi's ears are wide, tubular and extremely mobile, the neck is much shorter and equal to 2/3 of the length of the body.

This is interesting! Okapi has a long and thin, almost 40-centimeter bluish tongue, with which the animal washes itself, calmly licking its eyes and reaching its ears without strain.

The upper lip is separated in the center by a small vertical strip of bare skin. The okapi does not have a gallbladder, but has cheek pouches on either side of the mouth where food can be stored.

Lifestyle, behavior

Okapi, unlike gregarious giraffes, prefer to exist alone and quite rarely gather in groups (usually this happens when searching for food). The personal territories of males overlap one another and do not have clear boundaries (unlike the territories of females), but they are always larger in area and reach 2.5–5 km2. Animals graze mostly during the day, silently making their way through the thickets, but sometimes they allow themselves twilight forays. They rest at night without losing their inherent vigilance: it is not surprising that okapi’s senses are best developed by hearing and smell.

This is interesting! Johnston's okapi does not have vocal cords, so sounds are produced by exhaling air. Animals communicate with each other by quiet whistling, mooing or softly coughing.

Okapi are meticulously neat and love to lick their beautiful skin for a long time, which does not prevent them from marking their own territory with urine. True, only males leave such scent marks, while females inform about their presence by rubbing their necks with scent glands against the trunks. Males also rub their necks against trees.

When kept collectively, for example in a zoo, okapi begin to observe a clear hierarchy, and in the struggle for dominance they harshly hit their opponents with their heads and hooves. When leadership is achieved, dominant animals even visually try to outdo their subordinates by straightening their necks and raising their heads high. Low-ranking okapi often place their head/neck directly on the ground when expressing respect to their leaders.

How long does an okapi live?

It is believed that in wildlife Okapi live to be 15–25 years old, but live much longer in zoological parks, often exceeding the 30-year mark.

Sexual dimorphism

Males are usually distinguished from females by their ossicones.. The bony outgrowths of the male, 10–12 cm long, are located on the frontal bones and are directed backward and obliquely. The apices of ossicones are often bare or end in small horny sheaths. Most females do not have horns, and if they do grow, they are smaller in size than males and are always completely covered with skin. Another difference concerns body coloring - mature females are darker than males.

History of the discovery of okapi

The discoverer of the okapi was the famous British traveler and explorer of Africa Henry Morton Stanley, who reached the virgin lands in 1890. tropical forests Congo. It was there that he met the pygmies, who were not surprised by the European horses, saying that almost the same animals roamed the local forests. A little later, the information about the “forest horses” contained in one of Stanley’s reports was decided to be checked by a second Englishman, Governor Johnston of Uganda.

A suitable opportunity presented itself in 1899, when the appearance of the “forest horse” (okapi) was described in detail to the governor by pygmies and a missionary named Lloyd. Evidence began to arrive one after another: soon Belgian hunters presented Johnston with 2 fragments of okapi skin, which he sent to the Royal Zoological Society (London).

And only a year later, when two skulls and a complete skin arrived in London, it became clear that they were far from equine, but similar to the remains of extinct ancestors. The unknown animal had to be urgently renamed, borrowing its original name “okapi” from the pygmies.

Range, habitats

Okapi is found exclusively in the area Democratic Republic Congo (formerly Zaire), although not so long ago these artiodactyls could be found in the western part of Uganda.

Most of the population is concentrated in the northeast of the Republic of the Congo, where there are many inaccessible tropical forests. Okapi prefer to live close to river valleys and clearings, no higher than 0.5–1 km above sea level, where green vegetation is abundant.

Okapi diet

In tropical rain forests, often in their lower tiers, okapi search for shoots/leaves of euphorbia trees and shrubs, as well as a variety of fruits, periodically going out to graze on grassy lawns. In total, the okapi food supply includes over 100 species from 13 plant families, most of which enters his diet occasionally.

And only 30 types of plant food are eaten by animals with enviable regularity. The okapi's constant diet consists of both edible and poisonous (albeit to humans) plants:

• green leaves;
• buds and shoots;
• ferns;
• grass;
• fruits;
• mushrooms.

This is interesting! The highest proportion of the daily diet comes from leaves. Okapi plucks them with a sliding movement, having previously grasped the bush shoots with his mobile 40-centimeter tongue.

Analysis of wild okapi droppings showed that the animals eat large quantities of charcoal, as well as the saltpeter-rich brackish clay that covers the banks of local streams and rivers. Biologists have suggested that in this way okapi compensate for the deficiency of mineral salts in their body.

Reproduction and offspring

TO mating games Okapi begin their migration in May–June or November–December. At this time, animals change their habit of existing alone and come together to procreate. However, after copulation, the couple breaks up, and all the worries about the offspring fall on the mother’s shoulders. The female carries the fetus for 440 days, and shortly before giving birth, she goes into the wilderness.

Okapi bring one large (from 14 to 30 kg) and completely independent cub, which after 20 minutes already finds milk in the mother’s breast, and after half an hour is able to follow the mother. After birth, the newborn usually lies quietly in a shelter (created by the female a couple of days after birth) while she forages for food. The mother finds the baby by sounds similar to those made by adult okapi - coughing, a barely audible whistle or a low moo.

This is interesting! Thanks to the clever structure of the digestive tract, all mother's milk is absorbed to the last gram, and the little okapi does not have feces (with the smell emanating from it), which largely saves it from land-based predators.

Mother's milk remains in the baby's diet almost until the age of one: for the first six months the baby drinks it constantly, and for the second six months - periodically, from time to time applying to the nipples. Even after switching to independent feeding, the grown cub experiences a strong attachment to its mother and stays close.

However, this connection is strong on both sides - the mother rushes to protect her child, regardless of the degree of danger. Strong hooves are used and strong legs, with which she fights off attacking predators. Full formation of the body in young animals ends no earlier than 3 years of age, although reproductive abilities open much earlier - in females at 1 year 7 months, and in males at 2 years 2 months.

Okapi is a unique animal that lives in the Republic of Congo (Africa). By appearance it resembles a baby zebra and a giraffe, which is why it is informally called the “zebra giraffe.” At first glance, the animal can also be mistaken for unusual looking a horse, if not for the shape of the head and the stripes on the legs. What is this amazing artiodactyl? We offer a couple of interesting facts about okapi.

Origin

1. In fact, this animal is also called the dwarf forest giraffe. Okapi is related to the giraffe and belongs to the giraffidae family.
2. The rest of the world only discovered the okapi in the 20th century. Before this, only the population of the Congo knew that such a “strange horse” existed.
3. Habitat forest giraffe– Republic of the Congo. It lives nowhere else except the Congo River basin.

Appearance

1. One of the most amazing features of this animal is its amazingly long bluish tongue. Its tongue is as much as 35.5 centimeters long and is designed to care for the ears and eyes, as well as to get leaves from trees.
2. Okapi has a varied and very original coloration. The legs and rump of the animal are covered with black and white stripes, the muzzle is dark, and the body is colored red-brown.
3. The forest giraffe is an order of magnitude smaller in size than its relative. The height at the withers is about 160 centimeters, the length from head to tail is 2 meters. However, okapi weigh quite a lot for their small size - up to 250 kilograms.

Lifestyle

1. "Zebra giraffe" is a herbivore. The okapi's diet consists of various kinds of leaves, ferns and herbs, and the animal also likes to eat mushrooms and fruits.
2. These animals have a very timid character and are active mainly during the day. They also almost never gather in herds, but live alone. The exception is pairs in mating season and cubs that remain with their mother for several years.
3. The okapi's most sworn enemy is the leopard. Apart from him, in the wild the forest giraffe has practically no enemies, since the animal is of decent size and perfectly protects itself.

Sometimes nature really creates amazing creatures, and this is one of them. Who would have thought that for many centuries “Atti” (as the locals called him) was hiding from the eyes of the whole world. Unfortunately, the discovery also negative sides: Due to human cruelty, the forest giraffe is currently listed as one of the most endangered animals.

The okapi animal is the only representative of its kind from the Giraffidae family, which belongs to the Artiodactyla order.

The external characteristics of the wild animal are somewhat reminiscent of a horse and, moreover, there are characteristic white stripes on its legs that can confuse you and make you think that it is a zebra.

We hasten to assure you that this is not so, and in this article, we will lift the veil of secrets and tell you the whole truth about these very shy and secretive animals.

The body length of an adult reaches 2.5 meters, height at the withers is from 152 to 173 cm. The average tail is 35-45 cm, weight reaches up to 255 kg. The eyes are pronounced, the ears are large and long. The beast's tongue is so long that it can lick its eyes with it.

The animal has two small horns on its head, but only the male has them; the female does not have them. Noteworthy: the female is several centimeters taller than the male.

The color of the mammal's coat is chocolate-colored, the coat is smooth and velvety, and may shimmer into a scarlet hue. The legs are long, of course not as long as those, but much stronger and more powerful. They have whitish or dark tones, the muzzle is black and white. The neck is long and endowed with powerful and elastic muscles.

The okapi animal lives in central Africa in the Republic of Congo. Preferred places for living and breeding are tropical dense forests in the northern and eastern parts of the country. These places have the status of nature reserves, such as:

• Virunga;
• Salonga;
• Maiko;

Many lovers of these exotics are interested in total animals living in this territory. Nobody has official data, since this type leads a secretive lifestyle. According to unofficial data, there are from 40 to 55 thousand of them, and in zoos different countries there are no more than 162 of them.

It’s sad, but we have to admit that every year their numbers are steadily declining due to constant deforestation, thereby forcing the population to look for new places to live. The fact is that okapi has a very difficult time adapting to territories unfamiliar to it, and often simply dies. The body of this animal species is stress-resistant, which also has a detrimental effect on their numbers.

The diet of the mountain giraffe, also called okapi, is no different from its brother, the common giraffe. It actively eats the deciduous part of woody plants.

The beast grabs a young shoot with its long and powerful tongue, sliding it a little towards itself and tearing off the entire leafy part. But that's not all the food he can eat. Here are some other types of food he often eats:

• Mushrooms;
• Fruits;
• Ferns;

However, our hero is very picky about food. Scientists have recorded that out of 14 plant families, he pays supreme attention to only 29 types of herbs.

Charcoal and clay were found in the animal's feces, which it eats off the coast. forest rivers. Apparently, okapi replenishes mineral deficiencies in the body.

Eat at daytime and carry out all their life activity during the daytime. After dusk falls, they remain for the night in the same place. They mostly lead a solitary lifestyle, but they can form small groups. What makes them do this is not known for certain.

The mating season is from May to the end of July. The animal gives birth to okapi offspring during the rainy season from August to October; until this time, the female carries the baby in her womb for more than 450 days.

When it comes important point, the female tries to go to the most thorny places to give birth in complete privacy. The baby is left alone for some time. When she returns to give the baby her fatty milk, she makes special sounds to which the little okapi responds; the baby’s sound often resembles a cough.

At first, the mother protects her offspring; there were situations where she even attacked people in order to protect her offspring.

In the wild, the animal lives no more than 30 years. Under special conditions of keeping and feeding, it can live up to 40 years.

More big photo with okapi in good resolution Can .

P.S.

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Okapi belongs to the giraffe family. No one knows how many individuals of this species live in the wild. Okapi live exclusively in the lowland tropical rainforests of northern, central and eastern Zaire, as well as on the Zaire-Uganda border.

photo: Derek Keats

Appearance

Although characteristic features males indicate a relationship with a giraffe - okapi and giraffes have small horns on their heads, more precisely, bony outgrowths covered with skin and overgrown with hair, but in appearance okapi is most similar to a zebra. He has relatively long neck. Forehead, neck and body Brown, with light brown or gray areas on the cheeks, throat and chest. Females are slightly taller than males. The stripes on their legs make them invisible in the forest. The length of an adult animal is 2-2.1 m, and its weight is 200-250 kg. Newborns weigh about 16-20 kg.

photo: Derek Keats

Eating habits

Okapi feed mainly on leaves, buds, and shoots of more than 100 various types forest plants. Many of which are known to be poisonous to humans. Therefore, there is an opinion that this is why okapi eat coal obtained from burned forest trees. Carbon, in the form of charcoal, is a good antidote. They also eat grasses, fruits, ferns and mushrooms.

The animal has a long and thin tongue of a bluish color. Okapi cannot jump to reach the top branches of a tree, but thanks to its mobile neck and long tongue, the animal reaches branches at a height of up to 3 m.

photo: Alan Hill

Reproduction

Males and females of okapi stay solitary and meet together only during the mating season. A female ready for mating marks her territory with a special smell, which is a signal for the male to take action.

Okapi pregnancy is quite long - it lasts 450 days. Newborns are able to stand on their feet within 6-12 hours. They spend the first day or two of life near their mother and explore environment. After this, they find a suitable shelter and form a kind of nest. Over the next two months, they spend 80% of their time in this nest. Secretive behavior promotes rapid growth and provides protection from predators. A disturbed calf will lie motionless in its nest, and the female okapi will aggressively defend her calf. They become independent at the age of nine months.

Males begin to develop their antlers at about one year of age and reach their adult size before they are three years old. They are believed to become sexually mature at around two years of age. In captivity, okapi are known to live up to 33 years.

photo: Paul MOINE

Behavior and habitats

Okapi lives in dense tropical forests, leading a diurnal lifestyle. It is known that it prefers dense, impassable places and moves into them along well-trodden paths. A convenient place for him to live is in shaded places where the branches and leaves of growing trees form dense, light-proof vaults.

Okapi are found singly or in pairs: a female and her offspring. The territories of males and females often overlap, with males' ranges typically being slightly larger than those of females. Although okapi are not social animals, they can spend some time in small groups, such as when feeding.

photo:photocat001

Status and saving

The exact number of okapi in the wild is unknown. It is very difficult to obtain permission to catch this rare animal. Therefore, it is kept very rarely in zoos. Does not reproduce well in captivity. Since 1932, okapi has been protected in Zaire, but it is still hunted to this day. Habitat loss due to deforestation, as well as poaching, continue to limit the species' range and have a detrimental effect on population numbers. The okapi's habitat is very limited, so the future of these animals directly depends on its conservation.

photo: Larry

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Okapi – separate species, belonging to the order Artiodactyls, living in tropical zone Africa, namely in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Okapi is a hidden animal, which is why there is not much about it. official information. In appearance, okapi are slightly similar to zebras, but the animals do not have family ties. Okapi is a relative, which is why this species is included in the giraffe family.

There is no data on the exact population size; it is believed that 10-20 thousand individuals live in the wild. In addition, okapi live in 42 zoos around the world.

Appearance of okapi

The shape of the okapi's body resembles that of a giraffe - these animals also have long legs, but the neck is much shorter. A common feature Okapi has a long tongue, its length is 35 centimeters, and it easily reaches the eyes. With the help of this tongue, the animal takes out buds and leaves from trees. In addition, the tongue plays important role In hygiene, okapi uses it to clean its ears and wash its eyes. It is worth noting that these are very neat and clean animals. The okapi's tongue, like that of the giraffe, is bluish-gray.

The coat is velvety dark brown with a reddish tint. The legs are decorated with light horizontal stripes, thanks to which okapi resemble from afar. There are light and dark shades on the face.

Males have horns and are covered with skin. Females do not have horns. The ears are large, and the animal has perfect hearing, so it is difficult for a predator to catch it.

The body length from head to tail varies between 1.9-2.3 meters. The length of the tail itself is 35-42 centimeters. Okapi grow up to 1.5-1.8 meters in height.

Representatives of this species weigh from 200 to 350 kilograms, while males and females have the same size.

Okapi behavior and nutrition

Okapi prefer a solitary life. Males and females mark the boundaries of their territory and carefully guard their allotments. Males live alone, and females live with their cubs. Animals are active during the day, and at night they hide in the thickets.

Okapi live at an altitude of 500-1000 meters, and in the eastern zone they rise even higher - into the mountains rainforests. Okapi's fur is able to repel water, thanks to this the animal does not get wet during the rainy season, the water simply rolls off to the ground.

Okapi feed on grass, leaves, fruits, ferns and mushrooms. Animals can also eat poisonous plants. In addition, okapi eat charred trees that have been burned by lightning. Representatives of the species eat brackish red clay near rivers and streams, in which they are kept mineral salts.

Reproduction and lifespan

Because okapi are very cautious and secretive, little is known about how pregnancy occurs in females. The gestation period is 15 months. The female gives birth to a baby in the wilderness; this happens during the rainy season. The baby hides in the vegetation for a couple of weeks until it grows up.

Then he begins to follow his mother everywhere. The female takes great care of the newborn, protecting it from any danger. When does offspring begin independent life- dont clear. In captivity, these animals live for about 30 years; it is unknown how long okapi live in the wild.