Strictly herbivores, okapis' diets consist of 

leaves, buds, twigs,

fruits and other understory vegetation. As browsers, they
consume between 45 and 60 lbs (20 and 27 kg) of vegetation
each day.14 Sept 201Okapi
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This article is about the animal. For other uses, see Okapi (disambiguation).

Okapi

At Beauval Zoo

Conservation status

Endangered (IUCN 3.1) [1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla
 Family: Giraffidae

Genus: Okapia
Lankester, 1901

Species: O.  johnstoni

Binomial name

Okapia johnstoni

(P.L. Sclater, 1901)

Range of the okapi

The okapi (/oʊˈkɑːpiː/; Okapia johnstoni), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese

giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the
northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. Although the okapi has
striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. The
okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae.
The okapi stands about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall at the shoulder and has a typical body length
around 2.5 m (8.2 ft). Its weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg (440 to 770 lb). It has a long
neck, and large, flexible ears. Its coat is a chocolate to reddish brown, much in contrast
with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs, and white ankles. Male okapis
have short, distinct horn-like protuberances on their heads called ossicones, less than
15 cm (5.9 in) in length. Females possess hair whorls, and ossicones are absent.
Okapis are primarily diurnal, but may be active for a few hours in darkness. They are
essentially solitary, coming together only to breed. Okapis are herbivores, feeding on
tree leaves and buds, grasses, ferns, fruits, and fungi. Rut in males and estrus in
females does not depend on the season. In captivity, estrus cycles recur every 15 days.
The gestational period is around 440 to 450 days long, following which usually a single
calf is born. The juveniles are kept in hiding, and nursing takes place infrequently.
Juveniles start taking solid food from three months, and weaning takes place at six
months.
Okapis inhabit canopy forests at altitudes of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft).
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classifies
the okapi as endangered. Major threats include habitat loss due to logging and human
settlement. Illegal mining and extensive hunting for bushmeat and skin have also led to
a decline in populations. The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to
protect okapi populations.

Contents

 1Etymology and taxonomy

o 1.1Evolution
 2Characteristics
 3Ecology and behaviour
o 3.1Diet
o 3.2Reproduction
 4Distribution and habitat
 5Status
o 5.1Threats and conservation
o 5.2Okapis in zoos
 6References
 7Further reading
 8External links

Etymology and taxonomy[edit]

Strips cut from the striped part of the skin of an okapi, sent home by Sir Harry Johnston, were the first evidence
of the okapi's existence to reach Europe

Although the okapi was unknown to the Western world until the 20th century, it may
have been depicted since the early fifth century BCE on the façade of
the Apadana at Persepolis, a gift from the Ethiopian procession to
the Achaemenid kingdom.[2]
For years, Europeans in Africa had heard of an animal that they came to call the
African unicorn.[3][4] The animal was brought to prominent European attention by
speculation on its existence found in press reports covering Henry Morton Stanley's
journeys in 1887. In his travelogue of exploring the Congo, Stanley mentioned a kind
of donkey that the natives called the atti, which scholars later identified as the okapi.
When the British special commissioner in Uganda, Sir Harry Johnston, discovered
some Pygmy inhabitants of the Congo being abducted by a showman for exhibition, he
rescued them and promised to return them to their homes. The Pygmies fed Johnston's
curiosity about the animal mentioned in Stanley's book. Johnston was puzzled by the
okapi tracks the natives showed him; while he had expected to be on the trail of some
sort of forest-dwelling horse, the tracks were of a cloven-hoofed beast. [5]

Illustration from an original painting by Sir Harry Johnston, based on preserved skins (1901)

Though Johnston did not see an okapi himself, he did manage to obtain pieces of
striped skin and eventually a skull. From this skull, the okapi was correctly classified as
a relative of the giraffe; in 1901, the species was formally recognized as Okapia
johnstoni.[6]
Okapia johnstoni was first described as Equus johnstoni by English zoologist Philip
Lutley Sclater in 1901.[7] The generic name Okapia derives either from
the Mbuba name okapi[8] or the related Lese Karo name o'api, while the specific
name (johnstoni) is in recognition of Johnston, who first acquired an okapi specimen for
science from the Ituri Forest.[6][9]
In 1901, Sclater presented a painting of the okapi before the Zoological Society of
London that depicted its physical features with some clarity. Much confusion arose
regarding the taxonomical status of this newly discovered animal. Sir Harry Johnston
himself called it a Helladotherium, or a relative of other extinct giraffids.[10] Based on the
description of the okapi by Pygmies, who referred to it as a "horse", Sclater named the
species Equus johnstoni.[11] Subsequently, zoologist Ray Lankester declared that the
okapi represented an unknown genus of the Giraffidae, which he placed in its own
genus, Okapia, and assigned the name Okapia johnstoni to the species.[12]
In 1902, Swiss zoologist Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major suggested the inclusion of O.
johnstoni in the extinct giraffid subfamily Palaeotraginae. However, the species was
placed in its own subfamily Okapiinae, by Swedish palaeontologist Birger Bohlin in
1926,[13] mainly due to the lack of a cingulum, a major feature of the palaeotragids.[14] In
1986, Okapia was finally established as a sister genus of Giraffa on the basis
of cladistic analysis. The two genera together with Palaeotragus constitute the tribe
Giraffini.[15]
Evolution[edit]

Despite the vast difference in neck length, the okapi (left) and the giraffe (right) both have seven cervical
vertebrae (as do all mammals except for manatees and sloths).

The earliest members of the Giraffidae first appeared in the early Miocene in Africa,
having diverged from the superficially deer-like climacoceratids. Giraffids spread into
Europe and Asia by the middle Miocene in a first radiation. Another radiation began in
the Pliocene, but was terminated by a decline in diversity in the Pleistocene.[16] Several
important primitive giraffids existed more or less contemporaneously in the Miocene
(23–10 million years ago), including Canthumeryx, Giraffokeryx, Palaeotragus,
and Samotherium. According to palaeontologist and author Kathleen
Hunt, Samotherium split into Okapia (18 million years ago) and Giraffa (12 million years
ago).[17] However, J. D. Skinner argued that Canthumeryx gave rise to the okapi and
giraffe through the latter three genera and that the okapi is the extant form
of Palaeotragus.[18] The okapi is sometimes referred to as a living fossil, as it has existed
as a species over a long geological time period, and morphologically resembles more
primitive forms (e.g. Samotherium).[12][19]
In 2016, a genetic study found that the common ancestor of giraffe and okapi lived
about 11.5 million years ago.[20]

Characteristics[edit]
Male okapi displaying his striking horizontal stripes

The okapi is a medium-sized giraffid, standing 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall at the shoulder. Its
average body length is about 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and its weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg
(440 to 770 lb).[21] It has a long neck, and large and flexible ears. In sharp contrast to the
white horizontal stripes on the legs and white ankles, the okapi's coat is a chocolate to
reddish brown. The distinctive stripes resemble those of a zebra. [22] These features serve
as an effective camouflage amidst dense vegetation. The face, throat, and chest are
greyish white. Interdigital glands are present on all four feet, and are slightly larger on
the front feet.[23] Male okapis have short, hair-covered horn-like structures
called ossicones, less than 15 cm (5.9 in) in length, which are similar in form and
function to the ossicones of a giraffe.[24] The okapi exhibits sexual dimorphism, with
females 4.2 cm (1.7 in) taller on average, slightly redder, and lacking prominent
ossicones, instead possessing hair whorls.[25][26]
The okapi shows several adaptations to its tropical habitat. The large number of rod
cells in the retina facilitate night vision, and an efficient olfactory system is present. The
large auditory bullae of the temporal bone allow a strong sense of hearing. The dental
formula of the okapi is 0.0.3.33.1.3.3 .[23] Teeth are low-crowned and finely cusped, and
efficiently cut tender foliage. The large cecum and colon help in microbial digestion, and
a quick rate of food passage allows for lower cell wall digestion than in other ruminants.
[27]

Head of a male okapi with damaged ossicones

The okapi is easily distinguished from its nearest extant relative, the giraffe. It is much
smaller than the giraffe and shares more external similarities with bovids and cervids.
Ossicones are present only in the male okapi, while both sexes of giraffe possess this
feature. The okapi has large palatine sinuses (hollow cavities in the palate), unique
among the giraffids. Morphological features shared between the giraffe and the okapi
include a similar gait – both use a pacing gait, stepping simultaneously with the front
and the hind leg on the same side of the body, unlike other ungulates that walk by
moving alternate legs on either side of the body [28] – and a long, black tongue (longer in
the okapi) useful for plucking buds and leaves, as well as for grooming. [27]

Ecology and behaviour[edit]

Okapis are primarily diurnal, but may be active for a few hours in darkness.[29] They are
essentially solitary, coming together only to breed. They have overlapping home ranges
and typically occur at densities around 0.6 animals per square kilometre. [22] Male home
ranges average 13 km2 (5.0 sq mi), while female home ranges average 3–5 km2 (1.2–
1.9 sq mi). Males migrate continuously, while females are sedentary. [30] Males often mark
territories and bushes with their urine, while females use common defecation sites.
Grooming is a common practice, focused at the earlobes and the neck. Okapis often rub
their necks against trees, leaving a brown exudate.[23]
The male is protective of his territory, but allows females to pass through the domain to
forage. Males visit female home ranges at breeding time. [27] Although generally tranquil,
the okapi can kick and butt with its head to show aggression. As the vocal cords are
poorly developed, vocal communication is mainly restricted to three sounds — "chuff"
(contact calls used by both sexes), "moan" (by females during courtship) and "bleat" (by
infants under stress). Individuals may engage in Flehmen response, a visual expression
in which the animal curls back its upper lips, displays the teeth, and inhales through the
mouth for a few seconds. The leopard is the main natural predator of the okapi.[23]
Diet[edit]

The long tongue of the okapi

Okapis are herbivores, feeding on tree leaves and buds, grasses, ferns, fruits,

and fungi. They are unique in the Ituri Forest as they are the only known mammal that
feeds solely on understory vegetation, where they use their 18-inch-long (46 cm)
tongues to selectively browse for suitable plants. The tongue is also used to groom their
ears and eyes.[31] They prefer to feed in treefall gaps. The okapi has been known to feed
on over 100 species of plants, some of which are known to be poisonous to humans
and other animals. Fecal analysis shows that none of those 100 species dominates the
diet of the okapi. Staple foods comprise shrubs and lianas. The main constituents of the
diet are woody, dicotyledonous species; monocotyledonous plants are not eaten
regularly. In the Ituri forest, the okapi feeds mainly upon the plant
families Acanthaceae, Ebenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Loganiaceae, Rubia
ceae, and Violaceae.[23][30]
Reproduction[edit]

A female okapi with her calf at White Oak Conservation

Female okapis become sexually mature at about one-and-a-half years old, while males
reach maturity after two years. Rut in males and estrous in females does not depend on
the season. In captivity, estrous cycles recur every 15 days.[27][32] The male and the
female begin courtship by circling, smelling, and licking each other. The male shows his
interest by extending his neck, tossing his head, and protruding one leg forward. This is
followed by mounting and copulation.[25]
The gestational period is around 440 to 450 days long, following which usually a single
calf is born, weighing 14–30 kg (31–66 lb). The udder of the pregnant female starts
swelling 2 months before parturition, and vulval discharges may occur. Parturition takes
3–4 hours, and the female stands throughout this period, though she may rest during
brief intervals. The mother consumes the afterbirth and extensively grooms the infant.
Her milk is very rich in proteins and low in fat. [27]
As in other ruminants, the infant can stand within 30 minutes of birth. Although generally
similar to adults, newborn calves have long hairs around the eye (resembling false
eyelashes), a long dorsal mane, and long white hairs in the stripes.[33] These features
gradually disappear and give way to the general appearance within a year. The
juveniles are kept in hiding, and nursing takes place infrequently. Calves are known not
to defecate for the first month or two of life, which is hypothesized to help avoid predator
detection in their most vulnerable phase of life. [34] The growth rate of calves is
appreciably high in the first few months of life, after which it gradually declines.
Juveniles start taking solid food from 3 months, and weaning takes place at 6 months.
Ossicone development in males takes 1 year after birth. The okapi's typical lifespan is
20–30 years.[23]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
The okapi is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it occurs north
and east of the Congo River. It ranges from the Maiko National Park northward to
the Ituri rainforest, then through the river basins of the Rubi, Lake Tele, and Ebola to the
west and the Ubangi River further north. Smaller populations exist west and south of the
Congo River. It is also common in the Wamba and Epulu areas. It is extinct in Uganda.[1]
The okapi inhabits canopy forests at altitudes of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft). It
occasionally uses seasonally inundated areas, but does not occur in gallery
forests, swamp forests, and habitats disturbed by human settlements. In the wet
season, it visits rocky inselbergs that offer forage uncommon elsewhere. Results of
research conducted in the late 1980s in a mixed Cynometra forest indicated that the
okapi population density averaged 0.53 animals per square kilometre. [30]
In 2008, it was recorded in Virunga National Park.[35]
There is evidence that okapis were also observed in the Semuliki Valley in Uganda by
Europeans, but later became extinct in the late 1970s. [36] The Semuliki Valley provides a
similar habitat to the Congo Basin.

Status[edit]
Threats and conservation[edit]

Okapi at Disney's Animal Kingdom

The IUCN classifies the okapi as endangered.[37] It is fully protected under Congolese
law. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve and Maiko National Park support significant
populations of the okapi, though a steady decline in numbers has occurred due to
several threats. Other areas of occurrence are the Rubi Tele Hunting Reserve and the
Abumombanzi Reserve. Major threats include habitat loss due to logging and human
settlement. Extensive hunting for bushmeat and skin and illegal mining have also led to
population declines. A threat that has emerged quite recently is the presence of illegal
armed groups around protected areas, inhibiting conservation and monitoring actions. A
small population occurs north of the Virunga National Park, but lacks protection due to
the presence of armed groups in the vicinity.[1] In June 2012, a gang of poachers
attacked the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, killing six guards and other
staff[38] as well as all 14 okapis at their breeding center. [39]
The Okapi Conservation Project, established in 1987, works towards the conservation
of the okapi, as well as the growth of the indigenous Mbuti people.[1] In November 2011,
the White Oak Conservation center and Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens hosted an
international meeting of the Okapi Species Survival Plan and the Okapi European
Endangered Species Programme at Jacksonville, which was attended by
representatives from zoos from the US, Europe, and Japan. The aim was to discuss the
management of captive okapis and arrange support for okapi conservation. Many zoos
in North America and Europe currently have okapis in captivity. [40]
Okapis in zoos[edit]
0:28
1960 Dutch newsreel about okapis in Diergaarde Blijdorp

Around 100 okapis are in accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) zoos.

The okapi population is managed in America by the AZA's Species Survival Plan, a
breeding program that works to ensure genetic diversity in the captive population of
endangered animals, while the EEP (European studbook) and ISB (Global studbook)
are managed by Antwerp Zoo in Belgium, which was the first zoo to have an Okapi on
display (in 1919), as well as one of the most successful in breeding them. [41][42]
In 1937, the Bronx Zoo became the first in North America to acquire an okapi. [43] With
one of the most successful breeding programs, 13 calves have been born there
between 1991 and 2011.[44] The San Diego Zoo has exhibited okapis since 1956, and
their first okapi calf was born in 1962. [45] Since then, there have been more than 60
okapis born at the zoo and the nearby San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the most recent
being Mosi, a male calf born on 21 July 2017 at the zoo.[46] The Brookfield
Zoo in Chicago has also greatly contributed to the captive population of okapis in
accredited zoos. The zoo has had 28 okapi births since 1959. [47]
Other North American zoos that exhibit and breed okapis include: Denver
Zoo and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado); Houston Zoo, Dallas Zoo, and San
Antonio Zoo (Texas); Disney's Animal Kingdom, White Oak Conservation, Zoo Miami,
and ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Florida); Los Angeles Zoo and Sacramento
Zoo (California); Saint Louis Zoo (Missouri); Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical
Garden and Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Ohio); Memphis Zoo and Nashville
Zoo (Tennessee); The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (Maryland); Sedgwick County
Zoo and Tanganyika Wildlife Park (Kansas); Roosevelt Park Zoo[48] (North
Dakota); Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Nebraska); Philadelphia
Zoo (Pennsylvania); Potawatomi Zoo[49] (Indiana); Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical
Garden (Oklahoma); and Blank Park Zoo (Iowa).[50]
In Europe, zoos that exhibit and breed okapis include: Chester Zoo, London
Zoo, Marwell Zoo, The Wild Place,[51] and Yorkshire Wildlife Park[52] (United
Kingdom); Dublin Zoo (Ireland); Berlin Zoo, Frankfurt Zoo, Wilhelma Zoo, Wuppertal
Zoo, Cologne Zoo, and Leipzig Zoo (Germany); Zoo Basel (Switzerland); Copenhagen
Zoo (Denmark); Rotterdam Zoo and Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Netherlands); Dvůr
Králové Zoo (Czech Republic); Wrocław Zoo (Poland); Bioparc Zoo de
Doué and ZooParc de Beauval (France); and Lisbon Zoo (Portugal).[53]
In Asia, three Japanese zoos exhibit okapis: Ueno Zoo in Tokyo; Kanazawa
Zoo and Zoorasia in Yokohama.[54]
National Women's Day
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National Women's Day

Women in Lesotho at a National Women's Day protest against violence

against women at the National University of Lesotho

Observed by South Africa

Date 9 August

Next time 9 August 2023

Frequency Annual

First time 9 August 1995

National Women's Day is a South African public holiday celebrated annually on 9

August. The day commemorates the 1956 march of approximately 20,000 women to
the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country's pass laws that required
South Africans defined as "black" under The Population Registration Act to carry an
internal passport, known as a passbook, that served to maintain population segregation,
control urbanisation, and manage migrant labour during the apartheid era.[1] The first
National Women's Day was celebrated on 9 August 1995. [2] In 2006, a reenactment of
the march was staged for its 50th anniversary, with many of the 1956 march veterans.
 Contents

 11956 Women's March

 2Significance
 3See also
 4References
 5External links

1956 Women's March[edit]

Main article: Women's March (South Africa)
On 9 August 1956, more than 20,000 South African women of all races staged a march
on the Union Buildings in protest against the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas
Act of 1950, commonly referred to as the "pass laws".[3] The march was led by Lillian
Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams. Other participants
included Frances Baard, a statue of whom was unveiled by Northern Cape
Premier Hazel Jenkins in Kimberley (Frances Baard District Municipality) on National
Women's Day 2009.[4] The women left 14,000 petitions at the office doors of prime
minister J. G. Strijdom.[5]: 1  The women stood silently for 30 minutes and then started
singing a protest song that was composed in honour of the occasion: Wathint'Abafazi
Wathint'imbokodo! (Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock.).[6] In the
years since, the phrase (or its latest incarnation: "you strike a woman, you strike a
rock") has come to represent women's courage and strength in South Africa. [7]

Significance[edit]
National Women's Day draws attention to significant issues African women still face,
such as parenting, domestic violence, sexual harassment in the workplace,
pornography, unequal pay, and schooling for all girls. It can be used as a day to fight for
or protest these ideas.[8] Due to this public holiday, there have been many significant
advances. Before 1994, women had low representation in the Parliament, only at 2.7%.
Women in the national assembly were at 27.7%. This number has nearly doubled, being
at 48% representation throughout the country's government. [9] National Women's Day is
based around much of the same principles as International Women's Day, and strives
for much of the same freedoms and rights. [citation needed]

See also[edit]
 International Women's Day
 Public holidays in South Africa