Only Okapis! Trivia Quiz

Answer: A large brown animal with stripes on its legs.

The okapi ranges in height from 5-6 feet at the shoulder and about 7-8 feet long. They weigh anywhere between 455-550 pounds. The okapi has short dark brown hair and has bands of white over its rump and legs. They have large ears and dark eyes.

Answer: giraffe

The okapi and the giraffe are the only two living animals in the Giraffidae family. One of the traits unique to the Giraffidae family is short horns made of a bone core covered in fur. Both sexes have these, and they are present at birth.

Answer: Okapia johnstoni

The okapi's genus name is just okapi with an "a" added to the end. The species name is named after Harry Johnston who discovered the okapi in 1900 or 1901.

Johnstoni okapia is the name mixed up. Giraffa camelopardalis is the giraffe. Odocoileus virginianus is the white-tail deer.

Answer: The Ituri rain forest in central Africa.

The okapi lives in a completely different environment than the giraffe. They live in the dense understory brush in the rain forest. The stripes on their legs help them to blend into the shadows of the forest.

Answer: Using their long tongue to pluck leaves.

The okapi has an amazing tongue! It is black and over 18 inches long. They use it not only to reach for food, but also to clean their eyes and ears. They use it a lot, too. An adult okapi can eat 40-65 pounds of food each day.

Answer: Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, Illinois

The okapi is fairly easy to breed. The number of captive okapis are small because they only have 1 calf every 2-3 years. Brookfield Zoo bred the first okapi calf in America in 1959.

Answer: 440 days

After the okapi calf is born, it can nurse within 21 minutes and walk in about 30 minutes. During the first 6-8 weeks of its life, the baby doesn't defecate. This is to prevent predators from finding the calf by scent. The mother will nurse the calf from between 6 months and a year.

Answer: The leopard

The leopard is able to catch both adults and young okapis. A young okapi is the most in danger. When the calf sees a leopard it will crouch down and lie still. Usually, the coloration of the okapi will make it invisable to the leopard. However, a mother okapi has been known to charge a leopard in order to save her calf.

Answer: Loss of the rain forest

The okapi is another sad case of the destruction the rain forest. Although not considered endangered, the okapi could still face extinction later on. It is estimated that as few as 30,000 okapis are left in the wild.

Answer: "Moo", "Bleat", "Chuff"

The okapi is usually quiet, but can make sounds. The okapi "chuffs" when greeting each other and sometimes even their zoo-keepers. The young calves "bleat" to their mothers. Some have even made soft "moo" noises!