Friday, September 09, 2005

Can you clean your ear with your tongue?

Have you ever tried? An Okapi Can! An Okapi's tongue is about 18 inches long and it does clean it's ear with it's tongue! It can also grasp things like carrots & leaves.

A few summers ago, while at the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, California, I saw a most peculiar animal that would stay embedded in my memory. At first glance, I noticed it's gracefulness. Then, I realized it looked like a patchwork quilted giraffe; which is it's only relative. It has features of a zebra, giraffe & horse. This beautiful animal is called an Okapi.

Okapi's are found throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo are made perfectly for the tropical rainforest. It's oily coat is a velvety chestnut-brown or purplish red. the coat is oily to keep it dry at all times. The front legs are long & have stripes like zebras, while the hind legs are shorter & white with dark bands at the joints. They have a thick neck & a horse-like head. They need shorter legs & necks for better agility. Their body grows up to 7 feet long & about 5 feet at the tall. A full grown female can weigh up to 770 pounds. While being extremely tall serves a giraffe well in the wooded plains in Africa, it isn't practical for the rain forest.

Like most mammals, the mothers are extremely protective of their young. Gestation is 14-15 months & they give birth to 1 young. when it's time to give birth they go into the dense forest where they'll hide their newborn for days. They nurse for up to 6 months & the young have been seen nursing from more than 1 female. They're almost always silent with the exception of a soft cough the mothers have. The young are far more vocal. If the mother & it's young are separated the vocalizations increase. Their stripes help the young follow their mothers & also help the adults find each other. A mother will fight to defend her young, but will first beat her forelegs into the ground as a warning!

Adult males are territorial & can travel up to 2.5 miles daily. They mark their territories by spraying their urine. The males have small skin covered horns which are short enough so they won't get caught in branches.

Sources I've read disagree whether or not okapi's are an endangered animal. They live in small groups or alone. They're usually active in the daytime, use well traveled paths & rely on their sense of smell & hearing (like pigs). They live on leaves, grass, fruits & a sulfurous clay found along river banks that most likely helps them live for up to 30 years.

This is a really cool website from San Diego Wild Animal Park that has information & live pictures of Okapis this!

posted by jane at 10:39 PM