Okapi
Okapia johnstoni (P. L. Sclater, 1901)
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a mammal in the family Giraffidae, order Artiodactyla. It is a large, diurnal, terrestrial herbivore with an adult body mass of 230 kg, and our sources report values from 200 to 300 kg.
Quick facts about the okapi
Gestation lasts 452.6 days (1.2 years), each litter has one young, and sexual maturity is reached at 2.1 years. The okapi is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category, and has a lifespan of 33 years, with values up to 33.5 years.
- Weight
- 200 kg – 300 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 2.5 msrc for Length
- Height
- 1.5 msrc for Height
- Lifespan
- 33 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- leavessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 426 days – 457 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 23.9 months – 2.16 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 0.8src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the okapi?
Photos of the okapi
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the okapi live?
Not recorded
What is the okapi?
The okapi (; Okapia johnstoni), also known as forest giraffe and zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the only species in the genus Okapia. Although the okapi has striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae.
The okapi stands about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall at the shoulder and has a typical body length around 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in). Its weight ranges from 200 to 350 kg (440 to 770 lb). It has a long neck, and large, flexible ears. Its coat is a chocolate to reddish brown, much in contrast with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs, and white ankles. Male okapis have short, distinct horn-like protuberances on their heads called ossicones, less than 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. Females possess hair whorls, and ossicones are absent.
Okapis are primarily diurnal, but may be active for a few hours in darkness. They are essentially solitary, coming together only to breed. Okapis are herbivores, feeding on tree leaves and buds, grasses, ferns, fruits, and fungi. Rut in males and estrus in females does not depend on the season. In captivity, estrus cycles recur every 15 days. The gestational period is around 440 to 450 days long, following which usually a single calf is born. The juveniles are kept in hiding, and nursing takes place infrequently. Juveniles start taking solid food from three months, and weaning takes place at six months.
Okapis inhabit canopy forests at altitudes of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft). The okapi is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Major threats include habitat loss due to logging and human settlement. Illegal mining and extensive hunting for bushmeat and skin have also led to a decline in populations. The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to protect okapi populations.
From the Wikipedia article “Okapi” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Okapi&oldid=1381895828), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the okapi sound like?
Is the okapi endangered?
The okapi is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the okapi classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderArtiodactyla
- familyGiraffidae
- genusOkapia
- SpeciesOkapia johnstoni (P. L. Sclater, 1901)
Synonyms Equus johnstoni
Other names and names in other languages (23)
- African unicornEnglish
- Forest giraffeEnglish
- Zebra giraffeEnglish
- BosgirafAfrikaans
- أكابArabic
- زرافة الغابةArabic
- زرافة زرديةArabic
- АкапіBelarusian
- WaldgiraffeGerman
- ΟκάπιGreek
- OkapioEsperanto
- אוקאפיHebrew
- オカピJapanese
- 오카피Korean
- OkapijaLithuanian
- okapi leśnePolish
- OcapiPortuguese
- ОкапиRussian
- Окапи ДжонстонаRussian
- โอกาปิThai
- โอคาปิThai
- ОкапіUkrainian
- 㺢㹢狓Chinese
Relatives of the okapi
Other species in the same family Giraffidae.
Northern giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
Masai giraffe
Giraffa tippelskirchi
Somali giraffe
Giraffa reticulata
Southern giraffe
Giraffa giraffa
CompareOkapi vs Northern giraffeOkapi vs Masai giraffeOkapi vs Somali giraffeOkapi vs Southern giraffe
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is an okapi?
The okapi is a mammal in the family Giraffidae and the order Artiodactyla. It is classed as a large, terrestrial animal.
How heavy is an okapi?
An adult okapi has a body mass of 230 kg. Our sources report values from 200 to 300 kg.
What does an okapi eat?
The okapi is a herbivore.
Is the okapi endangered?
Yes. The okapi is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How long does an okapi live?
The okapi has a lifespan of 33 years, with values up to 33.5 years reported by our sources.
How many young does an okapi have?
An okapi has one young per litter, after a gestation period of 452.6 days (1.2 years).
Who named the okapi?
The okapi, Okapia johnstoni, was named by P. L. Sclater in 1901, written as (P. L. Sclater, 1901).
What are other names for the okapi?
Other English names for the okapi are zebra giraffe, forest giraffe and African unicorn.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Okapi (Okapia johnstoni). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/okapi
“Okapi (Okapia johnstoni).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/okapi.
@misc{okapi_2026,
title = {Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/okapi},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}