A giraffe, not a zebra
Despite its stripes, the okapi is the giraffe's only living relative.
African rainforest
Okapi
Okapia johnstoni
A shy forest animal with a velvety dark brown coat and zebra-like stripes on its legs and hindquarters.
- Size
- About 1.5m at the shoulder
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Dense rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and nowhere else
Walks quietly after you, ears turning. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Okapi
Good to know
Six things about the okapi
Unknown until 1901
The okapi is so shy that it was not known to science until 1901.
A tongue that reaches its ears
Its long, dark tongue can strip leaves from a branch and is long enough to wash its own eyelids and ears.
Follow-me stripes
The stripes help a calf to follow its mother through the dim forest, and break up her outline among the trees.
A waterproof coat
Its coat is oily, so rain runs straight off.
One country only
Okapis live wild only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and are endangered.
The real thing
Photos of the okapi
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Almost nobody sees a wild okapi. Most of what is known comes from camera traps, tracks and droppings on forest paths.
How to help
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Congo protects their core home. Zoos with okapis help to fund its rangers.
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