Though sometimes called forest giraffes, this creature doesn't look like a giraffe. It does have a long tongue, but it has the body of a horse and its legs have stripes, like a zebra.

Do okapis have hooves?

The okapi is similar in many ways to its towering cousin, the giraffe. Both have cloven hooves and short, skin-covered horns. ... So here's an unusual distinction: the okapi, thanks to its extra long tongue, is one of the only mammals in the world that can lick its own ears!

What animal has zebra legs?

The okapi (pronounced oh-KAHP-ee) is beautiful and unusual. With its white-and-black striped hindquarters and front legs, it looks like it must be related to zebras!

How does an okapi move?

Deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo lies one of the oldest and most distinctive mammals left on Earth – the okapi. ... An okapi's walk also closely resembles that of a giraffe – both animals simultaneously step with the same front and hind leg on each side rather than moving alternate legs like other ungulates.

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.

Okapi: The Forest Giraffe with a Prehensile Tongue

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What is special about okapi?

Known as the “forest giraffe,” the okapi looks more like a cross between a deer and a zebra. Nevertheless, it's the giraffe's only living relative. ... Except for the tips, the okapi's short horns are covered in skin. While all males have horns, most females have knobby bumps instead.

Is the okapi a vertebrate?

Okapia johnstoni (P. L. Sclater 1901)

Okapia johnstoni (Okapi) is a species of mammals in the family Giraffidae. They are listed as endangered by IUCN. They are native to Ethiopia. They are solitary, diurnal herbivores.

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.

Is an okapi a hybrid?

Okapis only look like they are a hybrid of giraffe and zebra, but they are actually their own species! They are related to the giraffe but have a shorter neck and shorter legs. The only place in the world where okapis are found is in the forests of Democratic Republic of Congo (Africa).

What zoo has an okapi?

Okapi | Saint Louis Zoo.

Is the okapi an antelope?

In fact, the okapi is not a relative from the antelope or the zebra. Instead, the animal is close kin to the giraffe. Okapi, also named zebra giraffe or forest giraffe, is native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.

What animal has purple fur?

Our favorite is the violet-backed starling, with its metallic shimmering purple feathers. They help the males to get the females' attention.

Why do okapi have scent glands on their feet?

Habits. Okapi are solitary and territorial. They have scent glands on their feet that spread sticky, tar-like territory markings to alert others of their region. Males also mark their territory with urine.

How fast can okapi run?

How fast can an okapi run? The Okapis can attain speeds up to 37 mph (60 kmph).

How many okapi are left in the world 2021?

How many Okapis are left in the world? There are 22,000 Okapis left in the world.

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!

Who discovered 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.

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. The okapi's closet relative is actually the giraffe.

What would happen if the Okapi went extinct?

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 ...

Are goats and giraffes related?

artiodactyl, any member of the mammalian order Artiodactyla, or even-toed ungulates, which includes pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains, deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle.