Okapi

• Genetically it is far closer to the giraffe than to the zebra, for all the resemblance of the stripes.
• Newborns do not defecate for their first month or two, so as to leave as little scent as possible.
• It eats more than 100 plant species, gathered with its long prehensile tongue.
• taxonomíaIt was first described scientifically in 1901 and, despite the zebra-like legs, is the giraffe's closest living relative.
• adaptaciónDespite its zebra-like leg stripes, their main function appears to be camouflage in dense forest rather than social recognition.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Dense tropical rainforest of the Congo Basin, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Birth weight

14 - 30 kg

Size at birth

Able to stand 30 minutes after birth, though it stays hidden 80% of the time for its first 2 months

Sexual maturity

1-3 years (some sources put full maturity at around 3)

Gestation / incubation

440-450 days (~14-15 months)

Litter / clutch size

1 young per birth (a single documented case of twins)

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 20-30 years in captivity

Sources consulted: WWF; Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance; BioDB; Animal Diversity Web; AnimalHub; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); SDZWA Library Fact Sheet