Giraffes' Lesser-Known Cousin: The Okapi

by Sol-Saray, age 10

Do you know how male giraffes form their rank? “Necking” is like arm wrestling except using the neck, and it's how giraffes establish dominance. Giraffes will intertwine their necks and push against each other until one of them gives up.

Giraffes have long necks that measure up to 18 feet long! People may think giraffes have only one pattern but in reality, there are other blotched patterns such as the Kenyan contrast blotch. Okapis also have patterns to help them camouflage . Unfortunately, okapis are endangered, which is probably why you may have not heard much of them.

Giraffes and okapis are relatives, but they live in different parts of Africa. The giraffe lives in Sub-Saharan Africa, while the okapi lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While both species are endangered, the World Wildlife Fund lists okapis as nearly threatened and giraffes as conservation dependent. The okapi lives in an abundant tropical forest. They eat greens such as leaves and part of the plant like buds and shoots. They lick riverbank clay and eat charcoal from burned down trees to supplement their diet with minerals. Giraffes also do this but they eat soil and chew bones instead. The giraffes diet is almost all acacia trees but they also eat flowers and fruit.

If we pay more attention to these animals, we can see that they are both equally important to our ecosystem. Additionally, they are interesting animals that scientists can continue to research and protect.