Okapi The Report Of A Forest Giraffe Essay, Research Paper

Evolutionary History

The okapi is the closest relative of the giraffe. Here is the evolution of the okapi starting at the Holocene Era. The Holocene, which is what we live in, contains the Okapia johnstoni and the Giraffa camelopardalis. The Pleistocene Era has many more relatives of the okapi. It has the above mentioned giraffe species along with the Giraffa jumae, the Giraffa gracilis, the Giraffa sivalensis, the Okapia stillei, the Sivatherium giganteum, and the Sivatherium maurusium. The Pilocene Era had the Giraffa attica, the Giraffa punjabiensis, the Giraffa priscilla, the Samotherium boissieri, and the species Samotherium sp. The Upper Miocene Era had the species Amotherium africanum, Samotherium sp., Palaeotragus germaini, and Palaeotragus primaevus. The only species related to the okapi in the Middle Miocene Era was Palaeotragus primaevus. The Lower Miocene Era also contained just one species that was related to the okapi, that species was the Prolibytherium magnieri. The Oligocene Era was the last era that contained a relative of the okapi. That relative was the Eumeryx sp.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Giraffidae

Genus: Okapia

Species: johnstoni

Scientific Name: Okapia johnstoni

Physical Description

The okapi has a velvet-like coat that is generally dark chestnut-brown or purplish red in color, with a distinctive pattern of horizontal stripes, on the upper legs that resemble the stripes of a zebra. The lower legs are white, with dark garters at the joints. The vaguely horse-like head is generally lighter, with a black muzzle, and is supported by a thick neck. The ears are large, and the black tongue is long and prehensile. The body is sloped, with the frontlegs much higher than the back legs. Males have two skin covered ‘horns’ or knobs on the forehead which develop between one and five years of age. The okapi have a body length of 6.6-7 feet and a shoulder height of 5-5.6 feet. Their tail length is 12-16.8 inches and they weigh 462-550 pounds when they reach full maturity. The difference between the male and the female okapi is the female is redder in color. The teeth of the okapi are adapted for chewing leaves so they are flat like the molars of humans. I wasn’t able to find the exact number of teeth that the okapi has, but it must be about 30-40.

Range

The okapi lives in the dense, moist jungles near water in the Ituri Forest in Northeastern Zaire. This is a very wet climate that is plentiful in food for the okapi. The den of the okapi is usually a bed of grass and leaves under a tree for shelter from the rain.

Life Span

The life span of the okapi in the wild is over 30 years. The female okapi is sexually mature at 2 years of age. The male is mature a little bit later.

Reproduction

To locate breeding partners, the okapis use their well-developed sense of smell. They also may make a soft cough during their search for a mate. Mating usually takes place in may and June. Gestiation lasts 14-15 months during which the expectant mothers retreat into dense forest to give birth to their single offspring. The young lies hidden in the forest for several days. The young do not seem to imprint on their mothers, and have been observed nursing from two different females.

Social Interaction

The okapi lives a solitary life or it lives in temporary small groups. The okapi is active during the day, using fixed, well trodden paths through the jungle. Young okapi make a variety of noises to keep in touch with their mothers. The mothers are very protective of their young and will defend it vigorously. Before fighting begins, the female sends out a threat by beating her forelegs on the ground. However, for most of their lives, okapis are predominantly alone.

Importance or Impact on Man

First off, the okapi is important to the whole planet, including man, as a part of the food chain. The okapi was discovered by Sir Harry Johnston in 1899. He was exploring the Ituri Forest in Zaire when he came across the Wambutti pygmie tribe. He was surprised because they didn’t marvel at his horse. They said that they sometimes caught a donkey-like animal in the jungle. Johnston reported this new animal to the Zoological Society of London in 1900. Later that year Johnston went back to the jungles of Zaire and found some tracks that the Wambutti tribe insisted belonged to their ass-like creature. But Johnston was skeptic because these tracks were cloven hoofed, not resembling those of a horse. Then the Commandant at Fort Mbeni, Karl Eriksson was able to obtain a skin and two skulls of this strange animal which he sent to Johnston. Armed with these findings, Johnston wrote back to the Zoological Society of London and sent his priceless cargo along with it. So was recognized the okapi, or forest giraffe. Today, the okapi doesn’t have very much of an affect on humans except for the few people that study it in the wild and care for it in captivity.