Wearing the same clothes is not a big deal, but whoever is ugly will be embarrassed! Okapi is very embarrassed

We have counted many animals wearing the same clothes before. The one we are going to introduce to you today is a little funny. They have the same face on the upper body and the same clothes on the lower body. This completely proves the saying: wearing the same clothes is not a big deal, but the ugliest one will be embarrassed.

It’s the one below.

Okapi, source: pixabay, author: nunobranco

Okapi in zebra's clothing

Okapi (Pinyin: huò jiā pí), its scientific name is Okapia johnstoni. It is an animal that was discovered in the African forest in 1901.

Because of the black and white stripes on its lower body, it looks very much like a zebra, but in fact it has nothing to do with zebras. The black and white stripes are just a "coincidence" in the process of biological evolution.

Zebra, source: pixabay, author: Alpcem

The Okapi is a deer with short, smooth fur that is brown in color, with fawn or gray cheeks and chest.

Its tongue is very long and can reach and clean its eyes and ears. It can also be said that its tongue can wash its own face. Its ears are very large, like radar, which can help them keenly detect natural enemies.

Source: pexels, author: Chris F

Seeing this, you may have realized, is this an okapi? Isn't this a giraffe? Yes, the second animal it hit was a giraffe.

The okapi is an even-toed ungulate, a close relative of the giraffe, and belongs to the family Giraffidae. If you look closely, the okapi and the giraffe have many similarities: the skull shape is similar, the ears and eyes look similar, and both have long blue tongues.

Giraffe, source: pexels, author: Rachel Claire

Then why doesn't it have a giraffe's long neck?

The long neck of a giraffe is the result of fierce competition between male giraffes for female giraffes. Although the pressure of "sexual selection" can play a role in shaping the appearance of animals, it is also inevitably affected by the living environment in this process.

The okapi's habitat is the Congo rainforest with abundant rainfall, while the giraffe's home is the arid savanna with little rain. The savanna does not have any restrictions on the neck, so in order to take advantage of it and compete for female mates, the giraffe makes its neck longer and longer. The tropical rainforest environment limits the okapi's ability to gain the advantage of "sexual selection" by lengthening its neck.

Therefore, the length of the okapi's neck and body shape have not changed much throughout the evolution process.

Mysterious Animals: The Life of the Okapi

The okapi was first discovered in 1901 in the Sanliqui River Valley (now Virunga National Park) and is a large mammal endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

They live in mountain rainforests and alpine forests at an altitude of 500-1000 meters, feeding on buds and shoots, as well as some ferns and fungi. In addition, they also eat a kind of clay to supplement their needs for minerals and salts.

Okapis use glands on each foot to secrete a bitumen-like substance to mark where they have walked, and use their urine to mark their territory , which is also an eye-opening way of leaving marks.

Source: Station B: Screenshot of the video of the Magical Creatures Museum

I believe everyone is also curious about its reproduction method!

The male of this animal can judge whether the female is in heat by the smell of her urine. After confirming, the male will slowly approach the female, get familiar with each other, and finally complete mating.

The gestation period of the okapi is 421 to 457 days. The young are generally born between August and October, weighing 14 to 30 kg at birth. The lactation period is about 10 months, and the maturity period is 4 to 5 years. Generally, the life span of captive okapis is more than 15 to 30 years.

It is worth noting that the mother of the okapi uses infrasound to communicate with her baby , which is inaudible to humans. Elephants, as we are familiar with, also have this behavior.

Another interesting thing is that the young okapi can stand up quickly within half an hour after birth . Under normal feeding conditions, its weight can reach three times its birth weight within a month. However, it will not defecate within two months after birth because it is afraid that the smell of its feces will attract natural enemies. In order to survive, they really work hard.

Rare animals need to be cherished

Okapis live in dense forests and are timid and solitary, which is one of the reasons why they have not been discovered.

Although they are very flexible and good at hiding to protect themselves, the number of okapis is very small worldwide, probably no more than 30,000 .

Image from the documentary "The Power of Life - Albertine Rift"

The Okapi is a species protected by Congolese law. In 2015, the Okapi Specialist Group and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation collaborated and developed a conservation plan. Due to various threats in Congo and the destruction of its living environment, the Okapi was listed in the 2012 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 - Endangered (EN).

Image from the documentary "The Power of Life - Albertine Rift"

Although it is not listed as endangered for the time being, the situation is really not optimistic. Therefore, we need to do our best to protect them so that they can survive sustainably.

END

Review expert: Ran Hao, well-known popular science writer.

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo