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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. Okapi are part of the Giraffidae family, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), which does make them relatives of giraffes.

Habits

Okapi are solitary and territorial. They have scent glands on their feet that spread sticky, tar-like territory markings to alert others of their region. Males also mark their territory with urine. On rare occasions, okapi join together to eat in small groups. During this time okapi may groom each other and play together

Diet

Okapi are herbivores, which means they eat only vegetation. They will reach up into trees with their tongues, pull down a branch and rake off the leaves with their mouths as they let go of the branch.

They also eat twigs, buds, fungi, fruits and other vegetation that can be found in the rain forest's under story. Clay from riverbeds is also important to their diet. The clay gives them minerals and salt that they may not be getting from vegetation. An okapi can eat between 45 and 60 lbs. (20 and 27 kg) of vegetation each day, according to the Rain forest Alliance. Like a giraffe, the okapi has to spread its long legs to get close enough to the ground to get a drink of water.