DO YOU KNOW OKAPI?

OKAPI

  Okapi (pronounced oh-COP-ee) is an unusual animal. It come from Ituri Rainforest, Northeast Region of Democratic Republik of Congo, Central Africa. The Okapi is very shy and secretive, so much so in fact that they were not recognised as a distinct species by western science until the earth 20th century (just known by local residents in 1901). Although they are seldom seen by people, the Okapi is not an endangered species as they are thought to be fairly common in their remote habitats.

Classification

Kingdom : Animalia

   Sub-kingdom : Bilateria

Phylum : Chordata

  Sub-phylum : Vertebrata

Class : Mammalia

Order : Artiodactyla

Family : Giraffidae

Genus : Okapia

Spesies : Okapia johnstoni (P.L. Sclater, 1901)

Common name : Okapi

Anatomy and Appearance

  Okapis look like a cross

between zebra and giraffe. They have black and white horizontal stripe like zebra, but his skin is closer to the giraffe. Despite its Deer-like appearance the Okapi is actually one of the last remaining ancestors of the Giraffe, which is the tallest animal on Earth. 

  Like a giraffe, the okapi has a long, dark, prehensile tongue to help it strip the buds and young leaves from the understory brush of its rain forest home. Not only that, a long neck also provides the Okapi with a tool to both defend itself and its territory. 

  Other than that, Okapi has white ankles with a dark spot above each hoof and very thick skin to help protect them from injury. The Okapi has a long head and dark muzzle with large set-back ears which enable the Okapi to detect approaching predators easily. The Okapi also has an impressively long tongue, which is not only black in color but it is also prehensile meaning that it is able to grab hold of leaves from the branches above.

Life Cycles

  Female okapis become sexually mature at about one-and-a-half years old, while males reach maturity after two years. The male shows his interest by extending his neck, tossing his head, and protruding one leg forward. 

  Like many hoofed-herbivores, the Okapi calf is usually able to stand within half an hour when mother and baby then begin starting to look for a good nest spot. They remain in their nest deep in the undergrowth for the majority of the next two months which not only helps the calf to develop more rapidly but also gives it vital protection from hungry predators.

  Although they do begin to develop their white stripes at a fairly young age, the young Okapi do not reach their full adult size until they are roughly three years old. They are generally weaned.

Diet and Pray

  Strictly herbivores, okapis’ diets consist of leaves, buds, twigs, fruits and other understory vegetation. Like their giraffe cousins, okapis are ruminants—animals with four chambered stomachs that allow the digestion of very tough plant matter. They eat leaves, shoots and twigs that are drawn into their mouths using their long prehensile tongue along with fruits, berries and other plant parts.

  Along with consuming a vast variety of plant material, the Okapi is also known to eat a reddish clay that provides essential salt and minerals to its plant-based deit. The Okapi spends a great deal of the daylight hours in search of food and walks quietly along well-trodden paths that it uses regularly to ensure an easier escape from predators at around 6 months old but may continue to suckle from their mother for more than a year.

Predators and Threats

  Due to the fact that the Okapi inhabits such a secluded region of mountain rainforests, it actually has surprisingly few common predators particularly in comparison to similar species. The main predator of the Okapi is the Leopard, which is one of the world's largest and most powerful felines and an animal  that spends a lot of time resting in the trees. 

  Unlike other predators  which the Okapi's acute hearing would sense moving through the undergrowth, the Leopard's position above ground means that they are able to both survey the surrounding area for potential prey and are also able to ambush it from above. Other predators of the Okapi include the Serval and Human hunters in the area, but the biggest threat to the world's Okapi population is habitat loss due to deforestation. 

Conservations Status

  Although they are thought to be fairly common throughout their naturally isolated range, the Okapi has been listed by the IUCN as an animal  that is Near Threatened  from extinction in its natural environment . This is due to the increase of deforestation in parts of their natural habitat  along with the fact that they are becoming increasingly caught on snares and other traps that are set by locals to catch other animals 

  The Okapi has been protected by law in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formally Zaire) since 1933, and the IUCN last estimated that there were between 10,000 and 35,000 individuals left in the wild.

Other Facts ??

Conservation Status (The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct) : Near Threatened

Estimated Population Size : 22,000

Biggest Threat : Habitat loss

Most Distinctive Feature: Horizontal white stripes on rear and legs

Fun Fact: Eats more than 100 different types of plant!

Source:
  a-z-animals.com

  id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi
  www.rainforest-alliance.org

PPT
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ivS4gOLrn9y-Wm4bZObTNpZ7fbFPq6k3/view?usp=drivesdk