Why are okapis tongues so long?
Like a giraffe, an okapi has very large, upright ears, which catch even slight sounds. 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.
What noise does an okapi make?
Besides his secret subsonic language, the okapi also slings the usual bleats and whistles that you might hear from a giraffe. That’s because of all the animals he resembles, the giraffe is his closest relation. In fact, he’s often called a “forest giraffe.”
Why do okapis have horns?
Horns are short to prevent tangling with dense vegetation in the rainforest. Okapi has large ear and excellent sense of hearing which is used for detection of potential danger. Okapi also has excellent sense of smell.
How do okapis sleep?
How Do Okapis Sleep? The okapi only sleeps five minutes per day! It has about ten slow wave sleep phases, but they are never longer than 30 seconds each. However, the okapi likes to snooze and spends up to six hours per night on its resting place.
How do okapis communicate?
Okapis have their own secret language. Humans can hear the coughs, bleats and whistles they often use. Okapis make a range of low frequency sounds to communicate with their calf that predators cannot hear. These animals are most active during the day.
Are okapis violent?
Aggressive behaviors include kicking, head-throwing, and slaps using the side or top of head as a blow to flank or rump. Kicking is often symbolic without contact. Dominant animals have an erect head and neck posture while subordinates may have head and neck on the ground.
How do okapi communicate?
What sounds do okapi make?
What leaves do okapi eat?
The okapi only consumes leaves from woody plants. It will pass up leaves from non-woody and large leaved herbs along the forest floor (Hart, 2009). After the okapi has found a plant that it would like to eat from it will even be more selective on which leaves it will eat off that plant.
What are some interesting facts about Okapi?
Okapi: Facts About the Forest Giraffe. Though sometimes called forest giraffes, this creature doesn’t look like a giraffe. It does have a long tongue, but it has the body of a horse and its legs have stripes, like a zebra. Males also have two small horns on the tops of their heads that are covered with skin.
Are there okapis in the Congo?
There are small groups of animals west and south of the Congo, but they are highly fragmented from the rest of the population. Okapis are herbivorous, meaning that they feed exclusively on plants. They will eat leaves, ferns, fungi, grass, fruit, and other plant matter.
What is the difference between a male and female Okapi?
While all males have horns, most females have knobby bumps instead. The okapi lives among dense flora in the rainforest. It can blend into its surroundings thanks to the brown and white stripes on its rump, which mimic the appearance of streaks of sunlight coming through the trees.
How do okapis mark their territory?
Like many other animals, okapis have an advanced scent marking system throughout their territory. Their scent glands are in their feet, which leave a smelly trail for other animals to translate when they pass through later. Okapi live exclusively in dense rainforests. They are perfectly adapted for forest living.