A mammal of the giraffe family (Okapia johnstoni) native to Democratic Republic of Congo; reddish-brown with long neck, large ears, and extremely long tongue (can lick its own eyes); face and lower legs pale; upper legs and hindquarters with thin horizontal stripes; male with two blunt horns; inhabits dense wet forest; eats leaves and fruit.
| iOkapi | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
An Okapi at Disney World's Animal Kingdom |
||||||||||||||
| Conservation status | ||||||||||||||
|
Near Threatened (LC/nt) |
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
|
Okapia johnstoni (P.L. Sclater, 1901) |
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a mammal of the Ituri Rainforest in central Africa. 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.
The okapi is the symbol of cryptozoology.
History
The okapi was known to the ancient Egyptians; In his travelogue of exploring the Congo, Henry Morton Stanley 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. 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. Conservation work in the Congo includes the continuing study of okapi behavior, which led to the creation in 1992 of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
Etymology
The genus 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.
Trivia
The obscurity of the Okapi led the Society for Cryptozoology to adopt it as an emblem. The Microsoft Computer Game "Zoo Tycoon" allows the creation of an Okapi exhibit, and one of the scenario deals with the birth of a baby Okapi.News
Rare Okapi Sighted in Eastern Congo Park (WWF Press Release) Rare giraffe-like animal spotted (BBC News) Rare giraffe-like animal "rediscovered" in Congo parkMedia
Pictures
|
Okapi at Bristol Zoo |
A pair of okapis |
Okapi with tongue extended, specimen at the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC |
Male okapi with tongue extended at Bristol Zoo Gardens, England. |
|
2 okapis at Chester Zoo, England. |
Video
Video of the Okapia johnstoni at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Okapia johnstoni #1 (file info) Okapia johnstoni #2 (file info) Okapia johnstoni #3 (file info) Okapia johnstoni #4 (file info) Okapia johnstoni #5 (file info) Okapia johnstoni #6 (file info) Okapia johnstoni #7 (file info) Okapia johnstoni #8 (file info) Problems seeing the videos?
User Comments Add a comment…