Okapi: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Hooves and Horns · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. Its striped legs look like a zebra's, but the okapi's closest relative is the giraffe. They are the only two living members of their family.
2. Its dark tongue is about 46 cm long. The okapi uses it to pick leaves and buds, and even to clean its own ears and eyes.
3. Long before scientists described it, Europeans in Africa heard tales of this animal and called it the African unicorn.
4. Newborn calves hide in the forest and make no droppings for their first month or two. This may help keep predators from finding them.
5. Like a giraffe, the okapi paces: it steps forward with the front and back leg on the same side at the same time.

The quiz

1. Which animal is the okapi's closest relative?

• The zebra
• The horse
• The giraffe (correct)
• The antelope

Despite its stripes, the okapi is most closely related to the giraffe.

2. Besides eating, what does the okapi use its long tongue for?

• Cleaning its ears and eyes (correct)
• Catching insects in flight
• Digging for roots
• Calling its calf

Its tongue also grooms its ears and eyes.

3. What did Europeans once call the okapi?

• The jungle zebra
• The giant deer
• The striped donkey
• The African unicorn (correct)

Europeans in Africa had heard of it and called it the African unicorn.

4. What may help a newborn okapi stay hidden from predators?

• It sleeps in trees
• It makes no droppings at first (correct)
• It swims across rivers
• It changes colour

Calves do not make droppings for their first month or two, which may help them avoid detection.

5. How does an okapi walk?

• It hops with all four feet
• It moves both legs on one side together (correct)
• It walks only on its back legs
• It moves one leg at a time

Like the giraffe, it paces, moving the front and back leg on the same side together.

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