Giraffe's cousin
The forest okapi is a mammal from the giraffe family and the only representative of the okapi genus.
The common ancestor of trenches and giraffes lived about 11,5 million years ago.
The okapi is found only in the equatorial Ituri Forest of Central Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Europeans discovered the trenches only in 1900; previously they were known only to the local population.
The name trench comes from the language of the local African Mbuba tribe, from the word O'api.
Okapi grow to approximately 2,1 meters in length and 1,5 to 1,7 meters at the withers.
They have long legs and ears, and a tail length of 30 to 40 centimeters.
Although their color resembles that of zebras, trenches are related to giraffes.
Both foxholes and giraffes have small horns on their heads.
The large number of rods in the eyes of these animals allows them to see in the dark.
The weight of an adult trench is about 250 kilograms.
These animals are active during the day, although they can also be active during the early night hours.
They lead a solitary lifestyle and mate only during the mating season. The territory of a trench is usually several square kilometers.
They are herbivores, their diet mainly consisting of tree leaves and grass, but they also eat buds, fruits and mushrooms.
For unknown reasons, trenches also feed on charcoal from burnt trees.
The trench pregnancy lasts from 440 to 450 days and the mother usually gives birth to one calf in August or September.
They are very alert and observant animals, and whenever they find themselves in a dangerous situation, they hide in the bushes, where they are difficult to spot due to their camouflage coloring.
The first forest okapi was born in captivity in 1919 at the Antwerp Zoo.
In 1987, the Okapi Conservation Project was launched to protect these animals.
Okapi appears in Alfred Shklarski's novel Thomas the Black Continent, where he is captured by a Polish hunting expedition.