BiologyCoachOnlineBlog

Last week's #MysteryCreature was the Okapi (Okapia johnstoni).

The okapi is endemic to the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (in Central Africa). Okapi (with their stripes) resemble zebras. However, they are most closely related to the giraffe. In fact, the okapi and the giraffe are the only extent members of the family Giraffidae. The okapi stands nearly five-feet (1.5 m) at the shoulder. Average body length of about eight-feet (2.5 m) and average weight ranges from 450 to 750 popunds. Okapi have relatively long necks. Their coats are chocolate to reddish brown and they have white horizontal stripes and rings on their legs and white ankles. Okapis are sexually dimorphic. Males possess short horns (called ossicones) while females have hair whorls. Ossicones are absent on females as well. Breeding for okapis is not season dependent. That is, breeding may occur anytime of the year. A single calf is born after a gestation of around 450 days.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the okapi as Endangered. Major threats include habitat loss, hunting (for bushmeat and skin), and illegal mining. The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to protect okapi populations.