A solitary, forest-living member of the giraffe family with a
dark velvety coat, white stripes on its rump and legs, and large
ears. Meaning of scientific name Okapia': from the native name
o'api; 'johnstoni': after Sir Harry H. Johnston who 'discovered'
the animal. 15 or more years in captivity. 1.9-2m long with a
30-42cm long tail, standing 1.5-1.7m high at the shoulder. A
forest-living member of the giraffe family with a medium-length
neck and slightly sloping back. The coat is dark velvety brown
with horizontal white stripes on the hindquarters and legs. Very
large deer-like ears and slight bony lumps on the head
(developing into bony horns in adult males). Tail dark with a
long dark tassle. North and North Eastern Congo. Dense rain
forest. They browse leaves from trees and shrubs. The okapi was
only officially discovered in 1901, although it had been hunted
for centuries by local people. It currently lives only in a
restricted area of West/Central African secondary forest where
there is plenty of shrubby