---
title: "What the sources say about the Okapi | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "56 claims from the Okapi profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/okapi/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Okapi (*Okapia johnstoni*)

> 56 claims from the Okapi profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Okapi](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/okapi/)

## Okapia johnstoni (okapi). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Okapia_johnstoni/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Zebra-striped legs | their legs have white stockings with brown stripes, similar to those of a zebra |
| a tongue that can reach past a foot | prehensile tongues, which can reach over 12 inches |
| seen eating more than 100 plant species | They have been observed eating over 100 different species of plants |
| An okapi's tongue is prehensile, which means it can grip, and it can reach over 12 inches (30 centimeters). | prehensile tongues, which can reach over 12 inches (note: 30 centimeters is converted from 12 inches; 'which means it can grip' defines prehensile and claims nothing about the okapi) |
| Okapis have been seen using it to eat more than 100 different species of plants. | They have been observed eating over 100 different species of plants using their prehensile tongues |
| The Giraffe's Closest Living Relative | Before discovering that okapis were the closest relative to giraffes |
| it can reach over 12 inches (30 centimeters) | prehensile tongues, which can reach over 12 inches (note: 30 centimeters, converted from 12 inches) |
| some have been seen eating burnt charcoal and licking bat guano (droppings) off hollow trees | Some okapis have been observed eating burnt charcoal and licking bat guano off of hollow trees. (note: '(droppings)' defines guano) |
| females have swirls of hair in their place | Females lack ossicones, having hair whorls in their place. |
| Okapis are not known to have any special defenses, but they do kick at predators. | Okapis are not known to have special anti-predator adaptations, but they kick at predators |

## Okapi. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/okapi

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the giraffe's only close living relative | Okapis are indeed the only close living relative of giraffes. |
| unknown to scientists until 1901 | scientists did not know of okapis until 1901 |
| Tropical rainforest in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo | Okapis live in tropical rainforests in the northeast region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Leaves, twigs, fruit, and fungi, plus clay | eating 40 to 65 pounds (18 to 29 kilograms) of leaves, twigs, fruits, and fungi each day ... They also eat clay |
| A prehensile tongue | An okapi also has a long, dark, prehensile tongue |
| long enough to reach its own eyes and ears | An okapi's dark tongue is long enough to reach its eyes and ears. |
| a scent gland on each foot that leaves sticky, tar-like marks on its territory | A scent gland on each foot leaves behind a sticky, tar-like substance wherever they walk, marking their territory. |
| The white-and-black stripes offer great camouflage when an okapi stands in the partial sunlight filtering through the dense rainforest. | An okapi's stripes ... offer great camouflage when an okapi stands in the partial sunlight filtering through the dense rainforest. |
| They may also help a calf follow its mother through the dark forest, and may help adult okapis find each other. | Their stripes may also help a young okapi follow their mother through the dark forest, and they may help adults find each other, too. |
| With its striking white-and-black striped legs, the okapi (Okapia johnstoni, pronounced oh-KAHP-ee) looks like it could be related to a zebra | With striking white-and-black striped legs, an okapi (pronounced oh-KAHP-ee) looks like it could be related to a zebra. |
| But its head resembles a giraffe's, and the okapi is the giraffe's only close living relative. | But if you look at an okapi's head, you'll also notice a resemblance to a giraffe. ... Okapis are indeed the only close living relative of giraffes. |
| An adult okapi stands about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall. | Height: About 5 feet (1.5 metes) tall (note: source prints 'metes', a typo for meters; quoted around it. 'Adult' because the page's SIZE block follows a separate size-at-birth line) |
| Females weigh 495 to 770 pounds (225 to 350 kilograms) and males 440 to 660 pounds (200 to 300 kilograms) | Weight: Females 495 to 770 pounds (225 to 350 kilograms); males 440 to 660 pounds (200 to 300 kilograms) |
| okapis live 17 years on average | LIFE SPAN 17 years on average |
| Indigenous people of the Ituri Forest knew of okapis for generations, but scientists did not know of them until 1901 | while indigenous people of the Ituri Forest knew of okapis for generations, scientists did not know of okapis until 1901 |
| The okapi's long, dark tongue is prehensile, which means it can grip | An okapi also has a long, dark, prehensile tongue (note: 'which means it can grip' defines prehensile) |
| Like a giraffe's tongue, it helps the okapi strip buds and young leaves from the understory brush | An okapi also has a long, dark, prehensile tongue, like a giraffe's, to help it strip the buds and young leaves from the understory brush of its rainforest home. (note: the following 'the shrubs and small plants growing beneath the rainforest trees' defines understory) |
| Each day okapis eat 40 to 65 pounds (18 to 29 kilograms) of leaves, twigs, fruit, and fungi | eating 40 to 65 pounds (18 to 29 kilograms) of leaves, twigs, fruits, and fungi each day |
| They also eat clay, likely for the minerals it contains | They also eat clay, likely for the minerals it contains. |
| A Tongue Built for the Understory | An okapi also has a long, dark, prehensile tongue, like a giraffe's, to help it strip the buds and young leaves from the understory brush of its rainforest home. |
| Striped Legs, Velvet Coat | With striking white-and-black striped legs ... An okapi's dark brown or reddish-brown coat is dense and feels like velvet. |
| An okapi's dark brown or reddish-brown coat is dense and feels like velvet. | An okapi's dark brown or reddish-brown coat is dense and feels like velvet. |
| It is also oily, so water slides right off, keeping the okapi dry on rainy days. | It's also oily, so water slides right off, keeping okapis dry on rainy days. |
| The stripes on its legs make great camouflage when it stands in the partial sunlight filtering through the dense rainforest | With striking white-and-black striped legs ... An okapi's stripes ... offer great camouflage when an okapi stands in the partial sunlight filtering through the dense rainforest. |
| Males have two bony bumps called ossicones near their ears, like giraffes do | Males have two bony protrusions, called ossicones, near their ears, like giraffes do. |
| A scent gland on each foot leaves a sticky, tar-like substance wherever an okapi walks, marking its territory. | A scent gland on each foot leaves behind a sticky, tar-like substance wherever they walk, marking their territory. |
| An okapi can tell if another okapi has been there by sniffing out these marks. | Because they have a great sense of smell, an okapi can tell if another okapi has been there by sniffing out these scent marks left on the ground. |
| A Ghost With a Secret Language | It can prove incredibly difficult to find them in dense rainforests, though. ... San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance conservation scientists discovered that okapis have a secret language. (note: 'ghost' is a figure for how hard okapis are to find, which the first sentence states; 'secret language' is SDZWA's own phrase) |
| Okapis live alone, except for mothers caring for calves. | Okapis are naturally solitary except for adult females caring for calves. |
| Their huge ears pick up even the softest sounds | Their huge ears pick up even the softest sounds coming from any direction. |
| each ear can rotate on its own, so an okapi can listen both in front and behind | An okapi's ears can rotate independently, so they can listen for sounds both in front and behind. |
| They listen for leopards, which hunt adult okapis, and for smaller wild cats, which can attack a young calf. | They listen for leopards, which hunt adult okapis, as well as smaller wild cats, which can attack a young calf. |
| Scientists recording okapis often heard coughs, bleats, and whistles, but when they studied the recordings closely they found other calls pitched so low that humans cannot hear them at all. | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance conservation scientists discovered that okapis have a secret language. They watched okapis closely and recorded their sounds. They heard coughs, bleats, and whistles quite often, but it wasn't until they returned to the Sensory Ecology Lab to examine their recordings closely that they realized okapis also use other calls with very low frequencies. These calls are so low, in fact, that we cannot hear them at all! |
| One explanation is that these calls let a mother out foraging check in with her calf without alerting potential predators, which cannot hear sounds that low either. | One explanation is that these calls have evolved for communication between a mother and her baby while she's out foraging. In this situation, a mother can "check in" with her offspring without alerting potential predators to the fact that her baby is vulnerable. Predators remain unaware of these chats, as, like us, they cannot hear sounds so low in pitch. |
| Okapis live in tropical rainforest in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. | Okapis live in tropical rainforests in the northeast region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Poaching, habitat loss, and the changing politics of Central Africa have led to a severe decline | The changing politics of Central Africa, poaching, and habitat loss have led to severe population decline. |
| scientists estimate that numbers have fallen by more than half over three generations | Scientists estimate the rate of decline has exceeded 50% over three generations |
| calls run from coughs, bleats and whistles down to infrasonic calls too low for human ears | They heard coughs, bleats, and whistles ... okapis also use other calls with very low frequencies. These calls are so low, in fact, that we cannot hear them at all! ... these infrasonic mutterings become visible (note: vibe.reason) |

## Mallon et al. (2015). Okapia johnstoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T15188A51140517.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-4.rlts.t15188a51140517.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). |
| The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the okapi as Endangered. | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). |

## Danowitz & Solounias (2015). The Cervical Osteology of Okapia johnstoni and Giraffa camelopardalis. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136552

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The okapi belongs to Giraffidae, the giraffe family. | Giraffidae is the only family of ruminants that is represented by two extant species; Okapia johnstoni and Giraffa camelopardalis |
| The family once held around 25 members; today the giraffe and the okapi are the only ones still alive. | The giraffe and the okapi are the only extant members of a previously species-rich family with approximately 25 members |
| The two are the last survivors of Giraffidae, the giraffe family, which once held around 25 members. | Giraffidae is the only family of ruminants that is represented by two extant species; Okapia johnstoni and Giraffa camelopardalis ... The giraffe and the okapi are the only extant members of a previously species-rich family with approximately 25 members |

## Agaba et al. (2016). Giraffe genome sequence reveals clues to its unique morphology and physiology. Nature Communications.

https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11519

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 2016 study comparing their genes estimated that giraffes and okapis split from a common ancestor about 11.5 million years ago. | we analysed the coding sequences of orthologous genes in giraffe, okapi and cattle ... The divergence of giraffe and okapi, based on the relative rates of synonymous substitutions, from a common ancestor is estimated to be 11.5 mya (note: 2016 is the reference's own publication year) |

## Stanton et al. (2014). Non-invasive genetic identification confirms the presence of the Endangered okapi Okapia johnstoni south-west of the Congo River. Oryx.

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0030605314000593

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| scattered spots south-west of the Congo River | Okapi were confirmed to occur south-west of the Congo River, in scattered localities west of the Lomami River |
| a 2014 study using DNA from their dung confirmed them in scattered spots south-west of the Congo River | Here we describe the use of non-invasive genetic identification for this species and assess the success of species identification from dung in the wild ... Okapi were confirmed to occur south-west of the Congo River, in scattered localities west of the Lomami River. (note: 2014 is the reference's own publication year, not a word in the quoted sentences) |