One-of-a-Kind Okapi

by Jolene Redvale

It’s a cross between a deer and a donkey. It’s a short giraffe with zebra stripes. Can it be a donkey, a giraffe, and a zebra all mixed together? Whatever animal it looks like, the okapi is unique.

Okapis (say: oh COP ees) are the only living relatives of giraffes. Both have knobby horns (female okapis have knobby bumps), big brown eyes, and large cheeks. While giraffes hold the record for longest legs and necks, okapis come in second.

Okapis and giraffes share another unusual feature: a long, sticky, purplish-blue tongue. They wrap their tongues around a branch to pluck off a few tasty leaves. They also use it to groom their fur. An okapi can even reach up to lick inside its own ears!

Quiet and shy okapis live in the rainforest of the Congo Basin of Africa. Unusual black and white stripes on their legs help them hide among the trees and blend into their habitat. How does an animal living in a wet rainforest stay dry? For okapis, the trick is their thick, oily fur. Their body stays dry under this waterproof oil-and-fur slicker.

Today okapis live in two dozen zoos around the US. If you are lucky enough to see okapis, listen to how other zoo visitors describe them. Then you can say, “THAT unusual animal is an OKAPI from the rainforest of Africa!”