Is an okapi related to a giraffe?
Known as the “forest giraffe,” the okapi looks more like a cross between a deer and a zebra. Nevertheless, it’s the giraffe’s only living relative.
What is the difference between an okapi and giraffe?
Seven, they are just very large! Male giraffes stand up to 18 feet tall and weigh up to 4,200 pounds; female giraffes grow to 16 feet tall and weigh up to 2,500 pounds. The okapi has striped hindquarters and looks like it might be related to the zebra, but it is related to the giraffe!
How did the giraffe evolve from the okapi?
The common ancestor of the okapi and giraffe lived about 16 million years ago. But now, scientists know that the okapi shared a long-necked common ancestor with the giraffe, and it developed separately on a different branch of the family tree.
Is zebra a rainforest animal?
Zebras don’t live in deserts, wetlands or rainforests, which may make them vulnerable to climate change.
What animals are related to giraffe?
Okapi – a relative of the giraffe Okapi are the only living relative of the giraffe. Both are in the Giraffidae family, with girafffes in the Giraffa genus and okapi in the Okapia genus. Giraffidae are ruminants, and share a common ancestor with deer and bovids.
What animal family does the giraffe belong to?
GiraffidsGiraffe / Family
How are giraffes and okapi similar?
Giraffe Facts The okapi has a similar body shape as a giraffe, however, with a much shorter neck relative to its body size. Okapis share other distinctive features with giraffe including unusual fur covered ossicones (horn-like structure), specialised teeth and tongue, and a ruminating four-chambered stomach.
What animals are related to the giraffe?
What animal did giraffes descend from?
Bohlinia, which first appeared in southeastern Europe and lived 9–7 mya was likely a direct ancestor of the giraffe. Bohlinia closely resembled modern giraffes, having a long neck and legs and similar ossicones and dentition.
Are giraffes in a rainforest?
There are not giraffes in the Amazon Rainforest. Giraffes live in the savanna of Africa.
Is giraffe a wild animal?
Giraffes are still found in numerous national parks and game reserves, but estimates as of 2016 indicate there are approximately 97,500 members of Giraffa in the wild….Giraffe.
| Giraffe Temporal range: Miocene to Recent | |
|---|---|
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Giraffidae |
| Genus: | Giraffa |
What type of animal is an okapi?
The okapi (/oʊˈkɑːpiː/; Okapia johnstoni), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.
What is the difference between Okapia and giraffe?
In 1986, Okapia was finally established as a sister genus of Giraffa on the basis of cladistic analysis. The two genera together with Palaeotragus constitute the tribe Giraffini. Despite the vast difference in neck length, the okapi (left) and the giraffe (right) both have seven cervical vertebrae (as do all mammals except for manatees and sloths).
Is the okapi a rainforest zebra?
Explorers may have seen a fleeting view of the striped backside as the animal fled through the bushes, leading to speculation that the okapi was some sort of rainforest zebra.
How many stomachs does an okapi have?
Just like the giraffe and cow, the okapi has four stomachs that aid with digesting tough plants. Also like its giraffe cousin, the okapi has a long, dark tongue that can strip leaves from branches.