Okapi Facts
for Kids

The okapi is the only living relative of the giraffe (family Giraffidae) — not a zebra. The striped pattern on its hindquarters evolved independently and serves a different purpose: breaking up the animal's outline in dappled forest light and helping young calves follow their mothers. Okapis and giraffes share ancestors dating back approximately 11–16 million years.

Okapis are threatened by deforestation of the Ituri Rainforest for agriculture, mining, and settlement, and by poaching for bushmeat. Ongoing armed conflict in the DRC makes conservation extremely difficult and has enabled unregulated hunting. The total wild population is estimated at 10,000–35,000, with numbers declining.

Okapis live exclusively in the dense, humid Ituri Rainforest of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, at 500–1,500 m elevation. Their range covers approximately 63,000 km². They are solitary and secretive, using well-worn forest paths and relying on dense vegetation for cover from leopards.

Okapis are browsers that eat leaves, buds, and young stems from over 100 plant species in the Ituri forest, plus grasses, ferns, fungi, and some fruit. Their long, prehensile tongues let them select individual leaves with precision. They are known to seek out clay licks for minerals and charcoal from tree stumps — likely to detoxify the plant compounds in their diet.

Okapis communicate primarily through infrasound — vocalisations at frequencies below 20 Hz, below human hearing range. This lets mothers and calves stay in contact through dense forest without being detected by leopards and other predators. They also use scent marking via glands on their feet and neck, and occasionally produce soft coughing sounds and bleats.