Wildlife Guide · Democratic Republic of the Congo — Ituri and adjacent rainforest only

Okapi

Okapia johnstoni (Sclater, 1901) — family Giraffidae

The giraffe's only living relative: striped legs, a purple tongue and a range of exactly one country.

Endangered — restricted entirely to the rainforests of the DRC

Okapi with zebra-striped legs in Congolese rainforest

Image: AI-generated educational wildlife portrait — World Animal Rescue Network · AI visualisation, not a photograph

In brief

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is the giraffe's only living relative, a solitary rainforest herbivore found exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with striped hindquarters for camouflage and a long dark prehensile tongue.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated July 2026

The okapi looks assembled from other animals — striped hindquarters like a zebra, a body like a large antelope, and the long dark prehensile tongue and ossicones of a giraffe. The last of those is the giveaway: the okapi is the giraffe's only living relative, the sole other member of the family Giraffidae. It lives in the dense rainforests of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and nowhere else. Solitary, quiet and superbly camouflaged, it went undescribed by Western science until 1901, which is late for a large mammal and reflects how hard it is to see.

Country of occurrence — the DRC only

~30 cm

Tongue length; long enough to clean its own eyes

1901

Year formally described by Western science

Infrasound

Mothers and calves communicate below human hearing

Figures sourced from IUCN Red List — Okapia johnstoni, CITES Appendices .

Okapi: Quick Facts

Vital statistics and key facts about the Okapi
Shoulder height	~1.5 m
Weight	200–350 kg
Closest relative	Giraffe — the only other giraffid
Range	DR Congo only
Communication	Infrasound between mothers and calves
Main predator	Leopard

Scientific Classification

Scientific classification of the Okapi
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Artiodactyla
Family	Giraffidae
Genus	Okapia
Species	Okapia johnstoni

Conservation Status

IUCN Status: Endangered
Population: Unknown; substantial decline documented since the 1990s
Trend: Decreasing
Assessed: 2015
CITES: Appendix I

Armed conflict across the range is both a direct threat and the principal obstacle to survey work, so population estimates carry wide uncertainty.

Did you know?

Okapi mothers and calves call to each other in infrasound below human hearing — quiet enough that a leopard nearby hears nothing.

Key Facts: Okapi

The okapi is the only living relative of the giraffe, in the family Giraffidae.
It occurs in the wild only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Striped hindquarters break up its outline in dappled forest light.
Its tongue is long enough to clean its own eyes and ears.
Mothers and calves communicate using infrasound below the range of human hearing.
It is Endangered, threatened by logging, mining, hunting and armed conflict.

A giraffe that stayed in the forest

Okapi and giraffe share defining giraffid traits: ossicones on the skull of males, a long dark prehensile tongue, and the same distinctive lobed canine teeth. The okapi kept the ancestral forest habits while the giraffe lineage moved onto open savanna and stretched. At around 1.5 m at the shoulder, the okapi is built for pushing through dense undergrowth rather than reaching into acacias. Its tongue does the same job as a giraffe's — stripping leaves and buds — and is long enough that the animal can clean its own eyes and ears with it.

Camouflage and secrecy

The horizontal white stripes on the hindquarters and upper legs break up the body's outline in the shifting, dappled light of the forest floor. They may also help a calf follow its mother visually through dense vegetation. Okapi are solitary, largely silent to human ears, and use scent-marking to communicate. Mothers and calves exchange infrasonic calls below the range of human hearing — likely an adaptation to communicate without alerting leopards, their main natural predator. All of this is why a large mammal remained unknown to Western science until 1901.

Why it is Endangered

The okapi's entire range lies within one country, much of which has experienced prolonged armed conflict. That single fact drives most of the threat picture. Logging and agricultural clearance remove forest. Artisanal mining, particularly for coltan and gold, brings people, roads and bushmeat hunting deep into previously inaccessible forest. Armed groups occupy okapi habitat and hunt directly. In 2012 the Okapi Wildlife Reserve headquarters was attacked and captive okapi were killed — an unusually direct illustration of how conservation and conflict intersect here.

What conservation looks like in a conflict zone

Protecting okapi is mostly about protecting people who protect okapi. Ranger patrols in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve operate under genuine danger, and the practical work is ranger support, community engagement around reserve boundaries, and reducing the bushmeat trade that supplies mining camps. Captive breeding maintains an insurance population in zoos worldwide, but there is no realistic reintroduction pathway while the habitat is insecure. As with many species in conflict zones, the limiting factor is not biology.

What WARN Does

WARN publishes free, sourced species education including the species whose fate is decided by conflict rather than by ecology. The okapi is a reminder that in some places the binding constraint on conservation is security, and that rangers are the people carrying that risk.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

Support Habitat Protection Donate to WARN

How can I help save the okapi?

There are three practical things that make a real difference for the okapi — and the first is the one that funds everything else.

Fund frontline rescue

Back the partner-led teams, veterinary care and protection that reach okapis where the need is greatest — WARN channels donations straight to that work.

Ease the pressures

Avoid the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buy wild animals as pets, and choose sustainable, habitat-friendly products — the threats behind the okapi's decline fall when demand does.

Spread the word

Share accurate, sourced information about the okapi. Wider awareness is what turns concern into lasting protection.

Support Habitat Protection Donate monthly

Okapi: Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help save the okapi?

The most effective way to help the okapi is to fund the frontline rescue and habitat protection that keeps the species alive — WARN channels donations to partner-led teams working where the need is greatest. You can also ease the pressures behind its decline by avoiding the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buying wild animals as pets, and choosing sustainable products, and by sharing accurate information to build wider support. See the ways to help below, or support WARN's Support Habitat Protection.

Is the okapi related to the zebra?

No. Despite the striped hindquarters, the okapi is the giraffe's only living relative, in the family Giraffidae. The stripes are camouflage for dappled forest light, not a sign of any relationship to zebras.

Where do okapi live?

Only in the rainforests of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, principally the Ituri forest. They occur naturally nowhere else on Earth.

Why was the okapi discovered so late?

It was formally described by Western science only in 1901 because it is solitary, silent to human ears, superbly camouflaged and lives in dense, difficult rainforest. Local communities had long known the animal.

Are okapi endangered?

Yes, the IUCN lists the okapi as Endangered. Logging, agricultural clearance, artisanal mining, bushmeat hunting and prolonged armed conflict across its single-country range all contribute.

How long is an okapi's tongue?

Around 30 cm — long enough for the animal to clean its own eyes and ears, and to strip leaves and buds from branches in the same way a giraffe does.

Are okapi / forest giraffes dangerous?

Okapi / Forest Giraffes are not generally dangerous to people. The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is the giraffe's only living relative, a solitary rainforest herbivore found exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with striped hindquarters for camouflage and a long dark prehensile tongue. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

How long do okapi / forest giraffes live?

A precise wild lifespan for okapi / forest giraffes is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is the giraffe's only living relative, a solitary rainforest herbivore found exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with striped hindquarters for camouflage and a long dark prehensile tongue. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

How big is an okapi / forest giraffe?

An Okapi / Forest Giraffe is about ~1.5 m. The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is the giraffe's only living relative, a solitary rainforest herbivore found exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with striped hindquarters for camouflage and a long dark prehensile tongue.

What do okapi / forest giraffes eat?

Okapi / Forest Giraffes eat plant material — leaves, buds, shoots and soft vegetation. The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is the giraffe's only living relative, a solitary rainforest herbivore found exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with striped hindquarters for camouflage and a long dark prehensile tongue.

Sources & References

Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.

Terms used on this page

Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.

Explore More Species

Every animal in our network faces a crisis. Learn about the others.

View all wildlife guides

Donate