Summary

This adult male Okapi specimen was received by the Museum on 20 January 1916 from Dr Christy, who had purchased it from the London taxidermists E. Gerrard and Sons. This mount is thought to be the only example in Australia.

Okapi are endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo. They live in high canopy forests where they feed on the foliage of the forest's understorey using their long, prehensile tongue. They reach about 1.5m tall at their shoulder, making them only a third the height of their closest living relative, the Giraffe. The much longer neck of the Giraffe allows them to feed on the higher foliage of the trees found in their own savannah habitat.

Okapi populations are decreasing in the wild, where they are threatened by human activities such as agriculture and urban development. Since 2015 they have been considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Specimen Details

Taxonomy

Geospatial Information

  • Country

    Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire)

  • State

    Ituri

  • Precise Location

    Ituri Forest

  • Latitude

    1.62

  • Longitude

    29.35

  • Geodetic Datum

    WGS84

  • Georeference Source

    Google Earth

  • Georeference Protocol

    Estimation

  • Georeference Date

    2019-11-07T00:00:00

  • Georeference By

    Karen K. Roberts