The okapi is a wild animal with a serious ‘identity crisis’. Wondering why? Its face resembles that of a deer but it has striped markings that are reminiscent of a zebra. However, scientists call it neither a deer nor a zebra, but a ‘forest giraffe’. It is the only close living relative of the giraffes!
The okapis may be described in three words: endemic, diurnal and solitary. Endemic, because they are found only in the dense Ituri rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo; diurnal, because they are active mostly during the day; solitary, because they are always seen alone, except while breeding and playing.
The brown and white stripes found on its hind legs appear as penetrating streaks of sunlight and aids the Okapi to remain invisible from cheetahs and other predators.
Similar to that of cows and giraffes, the Okapis have four stomachs each. This facilitates the effective digestion of their highly fibrous and herbivorous diet of fruits, buds, leaves, and twigs. One can easily spot the males by their short horns. Females have knobby bumps instead.
Scientists fear that the past two years have witnessed a drastic 50 per cent decline in the total population of okapis, mainly due to natural predators and human hunting. The okapis are now categorized under ‘Endangered’, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Picture Credit : Google
