Okapi animal (lat. Okapia johnstoni)

Traveling in Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) encountered local natives more than once. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they had wild animals in the jungle, very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact.

flickr/Roland & Sonja

After some negotiations in 1900, the British were finally able to purchase parts of the skin of the mysterious beast from the local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where the unknown animal was given the name "Johnston's Horse" ( Equus johnstoni), that is, they identified it to the horse family. But what was their surprise when, a year later, they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and discover that It looked more like pygmy giraffe times ice age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a live specimen of Okapi ( Okapia johnstoni ).

It was an okapi - a rare artiodactyl animal from the family. Okapis are indeed, at first glance, very similar to horses. But the legs and neck are somewhat elongated. On the hind legs and rump are bizarre black and white stripes, like a zebra, which makes the animal unusually amazing.

Okapis have a short, velvety, chocolate-colored coat with a reddish sheen. limbs white color, and the tail reaches 40 cm. At the withers, the okapi is about 160 cm, and the length from head to tail is 2 meters. As usual in nature, females are somewhat larger than males. White and brown okapi head with big ears full of charm. The narrow muzzle and large black moist eyes evoke tender feelings for the animal.

Many naturalists dream of seeing okapi. Since the Congo is the only place on Earth where okapi lives, and their capture for zoos is impossible due to their great sensitivity to changing environments, the dream of nature lovers remains elusive. Only 20 nurseries in the world can boast of having such a rare animal.

The temperament of the okapi is very shy. Although they lead a diurnal lifestyle, they still try to wander deeper into the jungle. Like giraffes, okapi feed on tree leaves. The diet also contains various herbs, mushrooms, ferns and fruits. The okapi's tongue is very long and dexterous. It is so long that the okapi easily rinses his eyes with it.

Okapi is also called " forest giraffe". Apparently, due to the availability of provisions in the jungle, okapi was not evolutionarily needed. Long neck, like a steppe giraffe, which in the steppe has to reach high for foliage.

Unlike their giraffe cousins, the okapi is solitary. Only in the mating season do they form pairs. Very rarely they can be found in small groups, but why this happens has not yet been investigated.

flickr/whiskeyboytx

Okapi cubs are gestated for 450 days (about 15 months). The kid hides in the thickets of the jungle for a long time, responding only to the voice of his mother. And the voice of the okapi is not loud. Due to the lack of vocal cords, the sounds pronounced by okapi are more like lowing with a slight whistle.

It has not yet been possible to fully study the life and habits of the okapi. Due to unsettled political power in the Congo, with constant civil wars, and because of the fearfulness and secrecy of animals, little is known about their life in freedom. Deforestation undoubtedly affects the population. According to the most rough estimates, there are only 10-20 thousand individuals of the okapi. There are 45 of them in zoos around the world.

Description of the okapi

Okapia johnstoni - Johnston's okapi, or simply okapi, is the only artiodactyl of the Okapia genus of the same name, which is part of the giraffe family. However, the most notable similarities are not so much with giraffes, but with their ancestors, as well as with zebras (in terms of color) and horses (in terms of physique).

Appearance

Okapi is bizarrely beautiful - velvety reddish-chocolate hair on the head, sides and rump is suddenly replaced on the legs by a white tone with uneven black stripes that copy. The tail is moderate (30–40 cm), ending in a brush. Most of all, the okapi looks like an exotically colored horse, which has acquired small horns (ossicons) with keratinized, annually replaced tips.

This is a large artiodactyl almost 2 m long, becoming heavier in adulthood up to 2.5 centners with a height at the withers of 1.5–1.72 m. The top of the head and ears repeat the chocolate background of the body, but the muzzle (from the base of the ears to the neck) painted white, with which contrast large dark eyes. The ears of the okapi are wide, tubular and extremely mobile, the neck is much shorter and equal to 2/3 of the length of the body.

It is interesting! The okapi has a long and thin, almost 40-cm bluish tongue, with which the animal washes itself, calmly licking its eyes and reaching out to the ears without tension.

The upper lip is divided in the center by a small vertical strip of bare skin. The okapi does not have a gallbladder, but has cheek pouches on either side. oral cavity where food can be stored.

Lifestyle, behavior

Okapi, unlike herd giraffes, prefer to exist alone and rarely gather in groups (usually this happens when looking for food). The personal territories of males overlap one another and do not have clear boundaries (unlike the territories of females), but they are always larger in area and reach 2.5–5 km2. Animals graze mostly during the day, silently making their way through the thickets, but sometimes they also allow themselves twilight sorties. At night, they rest without losing their inherent vigilance: it is not surprising that of the sense organs, the okapi has the best developed hearing and sense of smell.

It is interesting! Johnston's okapi does not have vocal cords, so sounds are produced when air is exhaled. Animals communicate with each other with a quiet whistle, lowing or a low cough.

Okapi are distinguished by scrupulous neatness and love to lick their beautiful skin for a long time, which does not prevent them from marking own territory urine. True, only males leave such scent marks, while females inform about their presence by rubbing their necks with odorous glands on the trunks. Males also rub their necks against trees.

With a collective content, for example, in a zoo, okapis begin to observe a clear hierarchy, and in the struggle for supremacy, they severely beat rivals with their heads and hooves. When leadership is obtained, dominant animals even visually try to outdo subordinates by straightening their necks and raising their heads high. Low-ranking okapis often place their head/neck directly on the ground when paying respect to leaders.

How long does an okapi live

It is believed that in wild nature okapis live to be 15–25 years old, but live much longer in zoos, often in their 30s.

sexual dimorphism

Males are usually distinguished from females by their ossicons.. The bony outgrowths of the male, 10–12 cm long, are located on the frontal bones and are directed backward and obliquely. The tops of the ossicons are often bare or end in small horn sheaths. Most females do not have horns, and if they do grow, they are inferior in size to males and are always completely covered with skin. Another difference concerns the color of the body - sexually mature females are darker than males.

History of the discovery of okapi

The okapi was discovered by the famous British traveler and explorer of Africa Henry Morton Stanley, who in 1890 reached the virgin rainforest Congo. It was there that he met the pygmies, who were not surprised by European horses, saying that almost the same animals roam in the local forests. A little later, the information about the "forest horses", set out in one of Stanley's reports, decided to check the second Englishman, the governor of Uganda, Johnston.

A suitable opportunity presented itself in 1899, when the exterior of the "forest horse" (okapi) was described in detail to the governor by pygmies and a missionary named Lloyd. Evidence began to arrive one after another: soon the Belgian hunters presented Johnston with 2 fragments of the okapi skin as a gift, which he sent to the Royal Zoological Society (London).

And only a year later, when two skulls and a full skin arrived in London, it became clear that they were far from horses, but similar to the remains of extinct progenitors. An unknown animal had to be urgently renamed, borrowing its original name "okapi" from the pygmies.

Range, habitats

Okapi is found exclusively in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), although not so long ago these artiodactyls could also be found in the western part of Uganda.

Most of the livestock is concentrated in the northeast of the Republic of the Congo, where there are many hard-to-reach tropical forests. Okapi prefer to live near river valleys and glades, no higher than 0.5–1 km above sea level, where green vegetation is abundant.

Okapi Diet

In tropical rainforests, more often in their lower tiers, okapis look for shoots / leaves of euphorbia trees and shrubs, as well as a variety of fruits, periodically going out to graze on grassy lawns. In total, the food base of the okapi includes over 100 species from 13 plant families, most of which gets into his diet occasionally.

And only 30 types of plant food are eaten by animals with enviable regularity.. The constant diet of okapi is made up of both edible and poisonous (albeit for humans) plants:

• green leaves;
• buds and shoots;
• ferns;
• grass;
• fruit;
• mushrooms.

It is interesting! Leaves account for the highest proportion of the daily ration. The okapi plucks them with a gliding motion, having previously clasped the shrub shoots with its mobile 40-centimeter tongue.

Analysis of wild okapi droppings showed that animals in large doses eat charcoal, as well as saltpeter-rich brackish clay that covers the banks of local streams and rivers. Biologists have suggested that in this way the okapi make up for the deficiency of mineral salts in their body.

Reproduction and offspring

Okapi start mating games in May-June or November-December. At this time, animals change their habit of being alone and converge to procreate. However, after copulation, the couple breaks up, and all the worries about the offspring fall on the mother's shoulders. The female carries the fetus for 440 days, and shortly before giving birth, she goes into a dense thicket.

Okapi bring one large (from 14 to 30 kg) and completely independent cub, which after 20 minutes already finds milk in the mother's breast, and after half an hour is able to follow the mother. After birth, the newborn usually lies quietly in a shelter (created by the female a couple of days after birth) while she forages. The mother finds the cub by sounds similar to those made by adult okapi - coughing, barely audible whistling or low lowing.

It is interesting! Thanks to the cunning device of the digestive tract, all mother's milk is absorbed to the last gram, and the little okapi does not have feces (with the smell coming from them), which largely saves him from land-based predators.

Mother's milk is preserved in the baby's diet until almost one year old: for the first six months, the cub drinks it constantly, and for the second six months - periodically, from time to time applying to the nipples. Even having switched to self-feeding, the grown-up cub experiences a strong attachment to the mother and keeps close by.

However, this connection is strong on both sides - the mother rushes to protect her child, regardless of the degree of danger. In the course are strong hooves and strong legs, with which she fights off pressing predators. Full formation The organism in young animals ends no earlier than 3 years of age, although reproductive abilities open much earlier - in females at 1 year 7 months, and in males - at 2 years 2 months.

The discovery of the okapi in the 20th century caused a sensation. For the first time, the traveler Stanley G. spoke about these animals. In 1890, he published a report on animals that lived in the forests of the Congo. This information was confirmed 9 years later, when Johnston found confirmation of this information. After that, in 1900, zoologists published a description of a new species of animal, which at first was called "Johnson's horse."

Okapis belong to the species of artiodactyls. Outwardly, these animals are a bit like zebras, but they have family ties. closer to giraffes. The legs are long and the neck is elongated, but shorter than that of a giraffe. But the blue tongue, which can reach 35 centimeters, is the same as that of giraffes. Males have horns. The dark coat has a brownish-reddish tint. There are horizontal stripes on the legs. At the same time, the hair on the legs of the animal is light, and the stripes are brown and black. It is these stripes that make the okapi look like a zebra.

In general, the length of the body of the animal is approximately two to two and a half meters, excluding the tail, the growth of the animal reaches one and a half meters. The length of the tail can reach half a meter. With such dimensions, the weight of individuals can reach 350 kilograms.

Lifestyle: nutrition and reproduction

Okapi animals have a well-defined territory. The boundaries of the marked territory are guarded by animals. As a rule, males live separately from females with cubs. The main activity of animals falls on the daytime.

They eat, like giraffes, representatives of this genus:

• tree leaves,
• fruits.
• mushrooms.

In the choice of food, okapis are quite picky, but despite this animal can eat poisonous plants and charred trees burnt out by lightning strikes. And in order to compensate for the lack of minerals in the body, the animal feeds on reddish clay near water bodies.

In the spring, you can watch how males arrange battles for females, colliding with their necks. The mating season is that rare period of time when you can see female and male okapi together. It happens that a couple is accompanied by a one-year-old cub, to which the male is not yet hostile.

Pregnancy of female okapi lasts more than a year - about 15 months. Childbirth occurs during the rainy season, in the Congo this period begins in August and lasts until October. Childbirth happens in the most remote places. The baby who was born lies for the first few days, hiding among the vegetation. Little okapi can whistle and whistle loudly, and also, like adults, make sounds similar to coughing. The mother finds the cub in the thicket by the voice. At the time of birth, the weight of the cub can reach 30 kilograms.

Feeding babies lasts about six months. It is still not known exactly when the cub becomes independent. After a year, horns begin to erupt in males. From the age of two, animals become sexually mature, and by the age of three, okapi become adults. The life span of animals vivo not reliably established.

Habitat

In nature, okapis are found only in tropical forests in the northeast of the Congo. For example, animals can be found:

• in the Salonga nature reserve;
• in the Virunga reserve;
• in the Maiko nature reserve.

Okapi live at an altitude of five hundred to a thousand meters. They choose places where there are a lot of bushes and thickets, as in case of danger they hide among them. Rarely, but also found on open plains, closer to the water.

Males and females have their own feeding areas. These areas may overlap. Also, males calmly let females pass through their possessions.

On the this moment there is no exact data on the number of okapis living in the Congo. Deforestation negatively affects the number of animals. Currently okapis are listed in the Red Book as rare animals.

Life in captivity

For a long time in zoos they could not create conditions for the life of okapi. The first time an okapi lived in captivity at the Antwerp Zoo for 50 days happened only in 1919. But already from 1928 to 1943, a female okapi lived in this zoo. She died of starvation during World War II. They also did not immediately learn how to breed okapi in captivity. The first offspring born in captivity died. Only in 1956 in Paris were able to leave the cub.

Okapi is a very picky animal. For example, members of this genus do not tolerate sudden changes in temperature and air humidity. They are also very sensitive to the composition of food.

True, in recent times Some progress has been made in keeping and breeding okapi in captivity. It is noted that young individuals adapt to the conditions of the enclosure faster. At first, they try not to disturb the animal. The composition of the feed is only the usual food. If the animal feels danger, it may die from stress, as the heart cannot withstand a heavy load.

When the animal calms down and gets used to people a little, it is transported to the zoo. At the same time, males and females in the enclosure must be kept separately, as well as monitor the lighting. There should not be more than one brightly lit area in the aviary. If the female gives birth in captivity, then it is imperative to isolate her and the cub. For them must create a dark corner, which would imitate the forest thicket.

Once used to, okapis become friendly to people. They can even take food directly from their hands.

With an amazing appearance, a distant relative of the giraffe and the only representative of its kind - Johnston's okapi, or as the pygmies of central Africa call it "forest horse".

Description

Okapi seems to be created from several animals. The legs of the okapi are striped in black and white, similar to a zebra. The coat on the body is dark brown, and in some places almost black. The color of the okapi's head is also peculiar: from the ears to the cheeks and neck, the hair is almost white, the forehead and lower to the nose are brown, and the nose itself is black. Another one distinguishing feature okapi - a long tongue with which the okapi washes his eyes and ears.

Also distinctive feature only male okapis are ossicons (small horns). In size and structure, the okapi resembles. The height of an adult animal at the withers reaches 170 centimeters, and the weight is approximately 200 - 250 kilograms. The body length of the animal reaches two meters.

Habitat

AT natural environment okapi can only be found in a single place - this is on the territory Democratic Republic Congo. In the eastern and northern parts of the state, specially created National parks(Solonga, Maiko and Virunga). Most of the population is concentrated on their territory. The habitat of females is clearly limited and does not intersect with each other. But males do not have clear boundaries, but nevertheless they always live alone.

What does it eat

Okapis are very finicky animals. The main diet consists of young leaves, which the okapi pulls off the branches of trees. With its long tongue, the okapi wraps around a twig and plucks juicy young leaves with a downward sliding motion.

It is also known that the “forest horse” prefers grass in its diet. Does not refuse fern or mushrooms, various fruits, berries. The okapi has been known to eat clay (which contains salt and saltpeter) as well as charcoal. Most likely, the animal adds these substances to its diet to maintain the mineral balance in the body.

natural enemies

Since the okapi leads a very secretive lifestyle, has a rather impressive size and is very well protected, few natural enemies. However, the most cursed of all - wild leopard. Hyenas can also attack okapis. In places of watering, crocodiles are a danger to okapi.

As well as for many other animals, the main enemy is man. Deforestation undoubtedly affects the population of amazing okapi animals.

1. Okapi lead a solitary lifestyle, and are found only for breeding.
2. Okapis raise the cub for one year and three months. Childbirth takes place during the rainy season (from August to October). Mom goes to the most remote and deaf place. After giving birth, the okapi cub spends several days without a mother, hiding in the thicket of the forest, after which he begins to call for his mother.
3. Okapi, a poorly understood animal species. First, because they are very fearful animals that live alone. Secondly, Civil War on the territory of the Congo makes their study almost impossible.
4. Okapis do not tolerate a change of scenery very well, and therefore it is also extremely difficult to meet them in captivity. There are about 20 nurseries all over the world where you can get acquainted with this amazing animal.
5. An adult okapi eats up to 30 kilograms of food per day.

Video about little Okapi

Okapi animal is the only representative of its kind from the Giraffe family, which belongs to the Artiodactyl order.

The external data of a wild animal is somewhat reminiscent of a horse, and besides, there are characteristic white stripes on its shins that can confuse you and make you think that this is a zebra.

We hasten to assure you that this is not so, and in this article, we will lift the veil of secrets and tell you the whole truth about these very shy and secretive animals.

The body length of an adult reaches 2.5 meters, growth at the withers is from 152 to 173 cm. The tail is average 35-45 cm, weight reaches up to 255 kg. The eyes are pronounced, the ears are large and long. The tongue of the beast is so long that he is able to lick his eyes with it.

On the head of the animal there are two small horns, but only the male, the female does not have them. It is noteworthy that the female is several centimeters taller than the male.

The color of the coat of a chocolate-colored mammal, the coat is smooth and velvety, it shimmers in a scarlet hue. The legs are long, of course not as long as those, but much stronger and more powerful. They have whitish or dark tones, the muzzle is black and white. The neck is long and endowed with powerful and elastic muscles.

The okapi animal lives in central Africa in the Republic of the Congo. Preferred places for living and breeding are tropical dense forests in the northern and eastern parts of the country. These places have the status of reserves, such as:

• Virunga;
• Salonga;
• Maiko;

Many lovers of these exotic are interested in total animals living in this area. Nobody has official data, because this species leads a secretive life. According to unofficial data, there are from 40 to 55 thousand of them, and in zoos different countries there are no more than 162 of them.

It is sad, but we have to admit that every year their number is steadily declining due to constant deforestation, thereby forcing the population to look for new places to live. The fact is that the okapi is very difficult to adapt to unfamiliar territories, and often simply dies. The body of this species of animals is stress-resistant, which also adversely affects their numbers.

The diet of the mountain giraffe, also called the okapi, is no different from its counterpart, the common giraffe. It actively eats the deciduous part of woody plants.

The beast captures with its long and powerful tongue a young shoot, sliding a little pulling towards itself, rips off the entire leafy part. But that's not all the food he can eat. Here are a few other types of food he often eats:

• Mushrooms;
• Fruit;
• ferns;

However, our hero is very picky about food. Scientists have recorded that out of 14 plant families, he pays royal attention to only 29 species of herbs.

Charcoal and clay were found in the animal's feces, which he eats off the coast. forest rivers. Apparently, okapi replenishes the deficiency of minerals in the body.

They eat in the daytime and spend all the activity of their life in the daytime. After dusk, they stay overnight in the same place. Mostly they lead a solitary lifestyle, but they can stray into small groups. What makes them do this is not known for certain.

Period mating season occurs from May to the end of July. The animal brings offspring of the okapi during the rainy season from August to October, until this time the female carries the baby in her womb for more than 450 days.

When it comes important point, the female tries to go to the most thorny places in order to give birth in complete solitude. For some time the baby is left alone. When she returns to give the baby her fatty milk, she makes special sounds to which the little okapi responds, the sound of the cub more often resembles a cough.

At first, the mother protects her offspring, there were such situations that she even attacked people in order to protect her offspring.

In the wild, the animal lives no more than 30 years. Under special conditions of keeping and feeding, it can live up to 40 years.

More more photos with okapi in good resolution is possible.

P.S.

That's all we were going to tell you in this article. If you liked the story, and it somehow helped you learn a lot about this animal, share your impressions in the comments.

Your opinion is very important to us.

Thank you for your attention!