Okapi

Okapi

Range: North, central and eastern Congo

Habitat: Dense and damp forests

Lifespan: About 33 years in captivity

Gestation: 427-491 days

Offspring: 1, about 35 pounds at birth

Size: Length, 7-8 feet; shoulder height, 5-6 feet; weight, 465-550 pounds

Diet: Buds, shoots of trees, grass, ferns, fruit, fungi and manioc

Characteristics: Okapis have a stout body with a slightly sloping back, similar to a giraffe but with a shorter neck.

Their body is covered with short, sleek hair. The sides of their rumps and the upper portion of their limbs have white horizontal stripes of varying width while much of the rest of their body is almost black with a lighter color face. Okapis also have large, dark eyes, big ears, and a long black tongue which they use to strip leaves from branches. Males have small, hair-covered horns. These animals wander about singly, in pairs, or in small family groups, but never in herds. They are related to the giraffe.

Conservation: Wildlife Conservation Society has been involved in okapi conservation efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, since the early 1980s. In 1992, that nation announced the creation of an okapi wildlife reserve that is roughly the size of Connecticut. This reserve is home to many other rain forest animal and plant species.