OKAPI
Justin G. & Evan D.
Description:
Okapis have black & white striped legs and have reddish backs. Their body shape looks like Giraffes, but Okapis have a shorter neck. Also like the Giraffe, Okapis have very long tongues. Their tongues are even long enough for them to clean their eye-lids and inside their ears!!! From the head to the end of the tail, Okapis are 6.2-8.2 feet long, and are 4.9-6.6 feet high to the shoulder.
Classification:
Common Name: Okapi
Scientific Name: Okapia johnstoni
Scientific Name: Okapia johnstoni
- Kingdom- Animalia
- Phylum- Chordata
- Class- Mammalia
- Order- Artiodactyla
- Family- Giraffidae
- Genus- Okapia
- Species- johnstoni
Related Species:
Fun Facts!!!!
- An Okapis tongue can be 18 inches long!!!!!!!
- Leopard is the only natural enemy of the okapi in the wild.
- The existence of the okapi was confirmed for the first time, in the year 1901.
- The Okapi is the only living relative of the giraffe!
- The Okapi is the Congo's National Symbol
- The Okapi was once called the "African Unicorn".
- It is also called the "Forest Giraffe" and the "Forest Zebra
Life Expectency
Average lifespan of the okapi is between 20 and 30 years.
Reproduction
Okapis reproduce sexually. The gestation period for females is 14-16 months, or 427 to 491 days.The females give birth to 1 calf at a time.