Okapi habitat. Okapi or "forest giraffe" (lat. Okapia johnstoni). Reproduction and offspring

Okapi animal is the only representative of its kind from the Giraffe family, which belongs to the Artiodactyl order.

The external data of a wild animal is somewhat reminiscent of a horse, and besides, there are characteristic white stripes on its shins that can confuse you and make you think that this is a zebra.

We hasten to assure you that this is not so, and in this article, we will lift the veil of secrets and tell you the whole truth about these very shy and secretive animals.

The body length of an adult reaches 2.5 meters, growth at the withers is from 152 to 173 cm. The tail is average 35-45 cm, weight reaches up to 255 kg. The eyes are pronounced, the ears are large and long. The tongue of the beast is so long that he is able to lick his eyes with it.

On the head of the animal there are two small horns, but only the male, the female does not have them. It is noteworthy that the female is several centimeters taller than the male.

The color of the coat of a chocolate-colored mammal, the coat is smooth and velvety, it shimmers in a scarlet hue. The legs are long, of course not as long as those, but much stronger and more powerful. They have whitish or dark tones, the muzzle is black and white. The neck is long and endowed with powerful and elastic muscles.

The okapi animal lives in central Africa in the Republic of the Congo. Preferred places for living and breeding are tropical dense forests in the northern and eastern parts of the country. These places have the status of reserves, such as:

• Virunga;
• Salonga;
• Maiko;

Many lovers of these exotic are interested in the total number of animals living in this territory. No one has official data, since this species leads a secretive lifestyle. According to unofficial data, there are from 40 to 55 thousand of them, and in zoos of different countries there are no more than 162 of them.

It is sad, but we have to admit that every year their number is steadily declining due to constant deforestation, thereby forcing the population to look for new places to live. The fact is that the okapi is very difficult to adapt to unfamiliar territories, and often simply dies. The body of this species of animals is stress-resistant, which also adversely affects their numbers.

The diet of the mountain giraffe, also called the okapi, is no different from its counterpart, the common giraffe. It actively eats the deciduous part of woody plants.

The beast captures with its long and powerful tongue a young shoot, sliding a little pulling towards itself, rips off the entire leafy part. But that's not all the food he can eat. Here are a few other types of food he often eats:

• Mushrooms;
• Fruits;
• ferns;

However, our hero is very picky about food. Scientists have recorded that out of 14 plant families, he pays royal attention to only 29 species of herbs.

In the feces of the animal, charcoal and clay were found, which he eats along the banks of forest rivers. Apparently, okapi replenishes the deficiency of minerals in the body.

They eat in the daytime and spend all the activity of their life in the daytime. After dusk, they stay overnight in the same place. Mostly they lead a solitary lifestyle, but they can stray into small groups. What makes them do this is not known for certain.

The mating season is from May to the end of July. The animal brings offspring of the okapi during the rainy season from August to October, until this time the female carries the baby in her womb for more than 450 days.

When an important moment comes, the female tries to go to the most thorny places in order to give birth in complete solitude. For some time the baby is left alone. When she returns to give the baby her fatty milk, she makes special sounds to which the little okapi responds, the sound of the cub more often resembles a cough.

At first, the mother protects her offspring, there were such situations that she even attacked people in order to protect her offspring.

In the wild, the animal lives no more than 30 years. Under special conditions of keeping and feeding, it can live up to 40 years.

More high-resolution photos from okapi are available.

P.S.

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Traveling in Central Africa, journalist and African explorer Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) encountered local natives more than once. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they had wild animals in the jungle, very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact.

flickr/Roland & Sonja

After some negotiations in 1900, the British were finally able to purchase parts of the skin of the mysterious beast from the local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where the unknown animal was given the name "Johnston's Horse" ( Equus johnstoni), that is, they identified it to the horse family. But what was their surprise when, a year later, they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and find that It looks more like a pygmy giraffe from the Ice Age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a live specimen of Okapi ( Okapia johnstoni).

It was an okapi - a rare artiodactyl animal from the family. Okapis are indeed, at first glance, very similar to horses. But the legs and neck are somewhat elongated. There are bizarre black and white stripes on the hind legs and rump, like a zebra, which makes the animal unusually amazing.

Okapis have a short, velvety, chocolate-colored coat with a reddish sheen. The limbs are white, and the tail reaches 40 cm. At the withers, the okapi is about 160 cm, and the length from head to tail is 2 meters. As usual in nature, females are somewhat larger than males. The white-brown okapi head with large ears is full of charm. The narrow muzzle and large black moist eyes evoke tender feelings for the animal.

Many naturalists dream of seeing okapi. Since the Congo is the only place on Earth where okapi lives, and their capture for zoos is impossible due to their great sensitivity to changing environments, the dream of nature lovers remains elusive. Only 20 nurseries in the world can boast of having such a rare animal.

The temperament of the okapi is very shy. Although they lead a diurnal lifestyle, they still try to wander deeper into the jungle. Like giraffes, okapi feed on tree leaves. The diet also contains various herbs, mushrooms, ferns and fruits. The okapi's tongue is very long and dexterous. It is so long that the okapi easily rinses his eyes with it.

Okapi is also called the "forest giraffe". Apparently, due to the availability of provisions in the jungle, the evolutionary okapi did not need a long neck, like the steppe giraffe, which has to stretch high in the steppe for foliage.

Unlike their giraffe cousins, the okapi is solitary. Only in the mating season do they form pairs. Very rarely they can be found in small groups, but why this happens has not yet been investigated.

flickr/whiskeyboytx

Okapi cubs are gestated for 450 days (about 15 months). The kid hides in the thickets of the jungle for a long time, responding only to the voice of his mother. And the voice of the okapi is not loud. Due to the lack of vocal cords, the sounds pronounced by okapi are more like lowing with a slight whistle.

It has not yet been possible to fully study the life and habits of the okapi. Due to the unstable political power in the Congo with constant civil wars, as well as because of the fearfulness and secretiveness of animals, little is known about their life in the wild. Deforestation undoubtedly affects the population. According to the most rough estimates, there are only 10-20 thousand individuals of the okapi. There are 45 of them in zoos around the world.

Okapi belongs to the artiodactyl order. Forms a separate species that lives in the central tropical regions of Africa. These are the northeastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The animal is very secretive, and therefore it is poorly studied. In appearance, it somewhat resembles a zebra, but has no family ties with it. But she has a lot in common with a giraffe, which is why she is part of the giraffe family. To date, the exact population size is unknown. Presumably, from 10 to 20 thousand of these animals live in the wild. Representatives of this species are also kept in 42 zoos around the world.

Appearance

The body shape of the animal is similar to the body of a giraffe. The legs are long, but the neck is much shorter than that of a taller relative. They have a long tongue in common. In length, it reaches almost 35 cm. The animal easily reaches them to the eyes. And it serves to get leaves and buds from trees. And, of course, hygiene. Wash eyelids, clean ears. The okapi does all this with the tongue. This animal is very clean and tidy. The color of the tongue is bluish-gray. The giraffe has exactly the same color.

Wool is velvety. The color is dark brown with a reddish tint. There are horizontal light stripes on the limbs. Therefore, from afar, the animal can be mistaken for a zebra. On the muzzle there are both dark and light shades. Males have skin-covered horns, females do not. The ears are large, and the hearing is perfect, so it is very difficult for a predator to catch this representative of the giraffe family. As for the size, the body length is 1.9-2.3 meters. This is from the head to the base of the tail. The tail itself grows in length by 35-42 cm. The height at the withers is from 1.5 to 1.8 meters. Weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg. Females and males are the same size.

Reproduction and lifespan

Given that the animal is secretive, little is known about its pregnancy. The pregnancy itself lasts about 15 months. The cub appears during the rainy season. The female gives birth in a dense thicket. In it, the baby hides for a couple of weeks, until it gets stronger. After that, he begins to follow his mother everywhere. She is very caring and protects the cub from any danger. At what age the baby begins an independent life is unknown. But life expectancy in captivity is 30 years. As for wildlife, there is no data here.

Behavior and nutrition

Okapi gravitates toward a solitary lifestyle. Males and females mark their territories and jealously protect them from strangers. Males live separately, females with cubs. The animal feeds mainly in the daytime, hiding in the thickets at night. This population lives at an altitude of 500-1000 meters above sea level. In the eastern part of its habitat, it rises higher into the montane rainforests. The skin has a water-repellent property, therefore, during the rainy season, this representative of the giraffe family does not get wet, as the water rolls to the ground.

The diet consists of leaves, grass, ferns, fruits, mushrooms. Some types of plants that the animal eats are poisonous to humans. The diet also includes charred trees that have burned down as a result of a lightning strike. Mineral salts are consumed, as well as brackish reddish clay near streams and rivers. This species is unique, and lives in areas that are constantly shaken by social conflicts. Therefore, in 1992, a special Okapi reserve was created to preserve these animals. About 7 thousand representatives of the species live in it.

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Okapi are the only relatives of giraffes, despite the fact that their necks are not long. They look as if they are made up of parts from different animals: legs, like a zebra, with black and white stripes, a head is gray, and a neck, body and round ears are brown. The okapi's tongue is so large that they can even use it to clean their ears. The height of pygmy giraffes at the withers is 150-170 cm, and they weigh about 200 kg.

Okapi live in small areas in the western part of Central Africa, in the humid jungle. They feed mainly on leaves, young branches and various tropical species of spurge plants, and sometimes include berries and herbs in their diet. At the same time, they pinch only the most tender shoots.

Pygmy giraffes are solitary and meet with other individuals only for mating. This can happen at any time of the year. The offspring stay with their mother for several years.

Since the animals are quite large and well protected, they have almost no natural enemies. An okapi can be attacked by a leopard, hyena or crocodile. The main enemy, as always, is a man who cuts down virgin forests, reducing the living space of a small giraffe.

Since these are very shy animals, Europeans noticed them only in the 19th century. The first to report the okapi was the African explorer Henry Stanley, who in 1880 saw a forest giraffe near the Congo River. And only in 1901 they were described in detail and received a scientific name.

Video: okapi.

Zebra, Horse or Neither?

okapi animal, often referred to as artiodactyls by the name of its discoverer Johnston, represents its genus in a single form. Despite the fact that his relative is considered giraffe, okapi more like .

Indeed, the back, mainly the legs, is painted like that of him. However, it has nothing to do with horses. Contrary to strange opinion, kangaroo, okapi has nothing in common.

At the time of opening okapi - "forest giraffe"“, made a real sensation, and it happened in the 20th century. Although the first information about it was already known at the end of the 19th century. They were published by the famous traveler Stanley, who visited the forests of the Congo. He was, to put it mildly, surprised by the appearance of this creature.

His descriptions then seemed ridiculous to many. Local governor Johnston decided to check this strange information. And indeed, in fact, the information turned out to be true - the local population knew this animal, called “okapi” in the local dialect, very well.

At first, the new species was dubbed "Johnston's horse", but after carefully examining the animal, they attributed it to animals that had long disappeared from the face of the earth, and that okapi closer to giraffes than to.

The animal has soft fur, brown color, with a red tint. Legs are white or cream. The muzzle is painted black and white. Males proudly wear a pair of short horns, females are generally hornless. The body reaches a length of up to 2 m, the tail is about 40 cm long. The height of the animal reaches 1.70 cm. Males are slightly lower than females.

Weight can be from 200 to 300 kg. A remarkable feature of the okapi is the tongue - blue and up to 30 cm long. With a long tongue, it licks the eyes and ears, thoroughly cleaning them.

Big ears are extremely sensitive. The forest does not allow you to see far, so only excellent hearing and sense of smell save from the paws of predators. The voice is hoarse, more like a cough.

Males stay alone, being separated from females and cubs. Active mainly during the day, trying to hide at night. Like the giraffe, it feeds primarily on leaves from trees, ripping them off with a strong and flexible tongue.

The short neck does not allow eating the tops, all preference is given to the bottoms. The menu also includes ferns, fruits, herbs and mushrooms. It is finicky and feeds on only a few plants. Compensating for the lack of minerals, the beast eats charcoal and brackish clay.

Females have clear boundaries of possessions, and mark the territory with urine and a resinous, odorous substance from the glands located on their legs. When marking territory, they also rub their neck against a tree. Males are allowed to cross the territory of other males.

But strangers are not desirable, although females are an exception. Okapi stay alone, but sometimes groups form for a short time, the reasons for their formation are unknown. Communication represents puffing and coughing sounds.

Okapi habitat

Okapi is a rare beast, and from countries where does the okapi live, only the territory of the Congo is represented. Okapi dwells in dense forests, which are rich in the eastern and northern regions of the country, such as the Maiko nature reserve.

It occurs mainly at altitudes from 500 m to 1000 m above sea level, in the mountains densely overgrown with forests. But it is also found on open plains, closer to the water. He likes to settle okapi, where there are a lot of bushes and thickets in which it is easy to hide.

The exact number is not known for certain. Constant wars in the country do not contribute to a deep study of the local flora and fauna. Preliminary estimates indicate 15-18 thousand heads of okapi living on the territory of the Republic of the Congo.

Unfortunately, logging, which destroys the habitat for many representatives of the local fauna, negatively affects the number of okapi. Therefore, it has long been listed in the Red Book.

Reproduction and lifespan

In the spring, males begin to court females, arranging fights, mostly indicative, actively pushing their necks. After conception, the female walks pregnant for more than a year - 450 days. Births occur mainly during the rainy season. The first days with the baby are spent in complete solitude, in the forest more often. At the time of birth, he weighs between 15 and 30 kg.

Feeding takes about six months, but sometimes much longer - up to a year. In the process of upbringing, the female does not lose sight of the baby, constantly calling out to him with her voice. In case of danger to offspring, she is able to attack even a person.

After a year, horns begin to erupt in males, and by the age of three they are already adults. From the age of two, they are already considered sexually mature. In captivity, okapis live up to thirty years; it is not known for certain in nature.

The okapi first appeared at the Antwerp Zoo. But he soon died, having lived there, not for long. As a result, the first offspring from okapi, obtained in captivity, also died. Only by the middle of the 20th century, they learned how to successfully breed it in aviary conditions.

This is a very whimsical animal - it does not tolerate sudden temperature changes, it needs stable air humidity. The composition of food should also be approached with special care. Such sensitivity allows only a few to survive in the zoos of the Nordic countries, where cold winters are the norm. There are even fewer in private collections.

But recently great strides have been made in captive breeding. Moreover, offspring were obtained - the surest sign of the adaptation of the beast to unusual conditions.

They try to place the young in zoos - they quickly adapt to the conditions of the enclosure. Moreover, a recently captured animal must undergo psychological quarantine.

There they try not to disturb him once again and, if possible, feed him only the usual food. The fear of people, unfamiliar conditions, food, climate must pass. Otherwise, okapi can die from stress - this is not uncommon. At the slightest sense of danger, he begins to frantically rush around the cage in a fit of panic, his heart and nervous system may not withstand the load.

As soon as he calms down, there is a delivery to the zoo or private menagerie. This is the most difficult test for a wild beast. The transportation process should be as gentle as possible.

After the adaptation process, flaunt it without fear for the pet's life. Males are kept separate from females. There should not be too much light in the aviary, leaving only one well-lit area.

If you are lucky, and the female will produce offspring, she will immediately be isolated in a dark corner, imitating a forest thicket, into which she retires, having roosted in nature. Of course, it is not always possible to feed him only with the usual African vegetation, but it is replaced by vegetation from deciduous trees, local vegetables and herbs, and even crackers. All herbivores love them. Salt, ash and calcium (chalk, eggshells, etc.) should be added to food.

Okapi subsequently becomes so accustomed to people that he is not afraid to take treats directly from his hands. They deftly pick it up with their tongue and send it into their mouths. It looks extremely entertaining, which fuels the interest of visitors to this strange creature.