What is a okapi zebra?

Are okapi related to zebras?

The okapi (pronounced oh-COP-ee) is beautiful and unusual. With its white-and-black striped hindquarters and front legs, it looks like it must be related to zebras! But take a look at an okapi's head, and you'll notice a resemblance to giraffes. The okapi is indeed the only living relative of the giraffe.

Where can I see an okapi?

Wild okapi live exclusively in the Ituri Rainforest in northwest Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. The Maryland Zoo has one male okapi on exhibit in the African Journey near the giraffes.

Can you eat okapi?

Okapi are hunted for meat and skins, and a major threat to this species is habitat loss due to logging and human settlement. Illegal armed groups in some protected areas have prevented effective conservation action.

Did you know facts about okapi?

What is a Okapi tongue?

The okapi's long prehensile tongue is used to strip leaves from branches and vines. Their tongue is 12-14 inches (30-36 cm) long and black or dark blue in color.

Why is the okapi important?

John Lukas: If the okapi were to go extinct, it would be a great loss to the people of DRC, the okapi is their symbol of their bountiful biodiversity and wild places, and as a symbol of ICCN, it would be a failure that would be difficult to overcome and a foreboding for the other endangered species that require ...

What animals have Ossicones?

Ossicones are columnar or conical skin-covered bone structures on the heads of giraffes, male okapi, and some of their extinct relatives.

How big is a okapi?

Size. Okapi are about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall. Females are typically a little heavier at 495 to 770 lbs. (225 to 350 kilograms) while males weigh 440 to 660 lbs.

How do Okapi sleep?

The okapi only sleeps 5 minutes per day! It has about ten slow wave sleep phases, but they are never longer than 30 seconds each. However, the okapi likes to snooze and spends up to six hours per night on its resting place.

How do Okapi defend themselves?

Okapis have many defenses to keep them one step ahead of the leopard. ... 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.

Do any zoos have okapi?

The Saint Louis Zoo is a participant in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP) for okapi (see sidebar). For 28 years, the Zoo has supported the conservation of okapi ex situ (protecting a species outside its natural habitat) and in situ (in its natural habitat).

What is the population of okapi?

The population of the endemic species of Okapi (Okapia johnstoni), a forest giraffe, is estimated at 5,000 individuals.

Who discovered the okapi?

The okapi was first discovered by the western world by ZSL fellow, Sir Harry Johnston, in 1901 but what else do we know about this extraordinary and shy creature? The only place in the world that you can find a wild okapi is in the dense tropical rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What African animal has a blue tongue?

Impalas. Native to Eastern and Southern Africa, impalas are graceful, deer-like animals with long, slender horns and dark blue tongues!

Can a giraffe and a horse mate?

This strange animal looks like a zebra, horse, giraffe hybrid. It is an Okapi! The Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is little known because it was one of the most recently discovered of all large mammals – not discovered until the 20th century. ... They are forest animals living in the African Congo.

What is a half zebra half donkey called?

A zeedonk (also spelled zedonk) (also known a zebrass, zebronkey, zonkey, zebadonk, zenkey or deebra) is an interspecies cross between a zebra and a donkey. The generic name for crosses between zebras and horses or asses is zebroid or zebra mule.