okapi

okapi
/oh kah"pee/, n., pl. okapis, (esp. collectively) okapi.
an African mammal, Okapia johnstoni, closely related to and resembling the giraffe, but smaller and with a much shorter neck.
[1900; < Bambuba (Mvu'ba), a Central Sudanic language of the NE Democratic Republic of the Congo (or < a related Pygmy dial.), according to English Africanist Harry Johnston (1858-1927), author of the first zoological descriptions of the animal]

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Ruminant species (Okapia johnstoni) in the giraffe family that lives alone in Congo rain forests, eating leaves and fruit.

Its neck and legs are proportionately shorter than the giraffe's, and females, which are larger than males, stand about 5 ft (1.5 m) at the shoulder. The sleek coat is deep brown on the front of the body; the upper legs are black-and-white-striped, and the lower legs are white, with black rings above the hooves. The male's short horns are covered with skin except at the tips.

Okapi (Okapia johnstoni )

Kenneth W. Fink
Root Resources

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mammal
 (species Okapia johnstoni), cud-chewing hoofed mammal that is placed along with the giraffe (q.v.) in the family Giraffidae (order Artiodactyla). Found in the rainforests of the Congo region, the okapi was unknown to science until about 1900. Its neck and legs are shorter than those of the giraffe, and the shoulder height of females, which are larger than males, is about 1.5 m (5 feet). The coat is sleek and deep brown, almost purple, with the sides of the face dull reddish; the buttocks, thighs, and tops of the forelegs are horizontally striped with black and white, and the lower parts of the legs are white with black rings above the hooves. The eyes and ears are large, and the tongue is long and prehensile. The male has short horns covered with skin except at the tips.

      The okapi is a shy, elusive animal that lives among dense cover and browses on leaves and fruit. It appears to be solitary. It has been exhibited in many zoological gardens and has been successfully bred in captivity. Gestation is about 14–15 months.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • okapi — okapi …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Okapi — (Okapia johnstoni) Systematik Überordnung: Laurasiatheria Ordnung: Paarhufer (Artiodactyla) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • okapi — [ ɔkapi ] n. m. • 1901; angl. okapi (1900), mot bantou ♦ Mammifère ruminant des forêts humides d Afrique, de la taille d une grande antilope et dont la tête ressemble à celle de la girafe. Le pelage brun de l okapi est zébré de blanc sur la… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Okapi — (Ocapia Johnstoni Ray Lankaster, Helladotherium Johnstoni), Säugetier aus der Familie der Giraffen, 2,25 m lang und 1,83 m hoch (vielleicht noch größer), besitzt verhältnismäßig kürzern Hals und kürzere Vorderbeine als die Giraffe, das… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • okapi — OKÁPI s.f. (zool.) Specie de girafă din Africa, cu gâtul mult mai scurt şi cu blana zebrată la spate. [< fr., it. okapi < cuv. bantu]. Trimis de LauraGellner, 14.05.2008. Sursa: DN  OKÁPI s. f. specie de girafă din Africa ecuatorială, cu… …   Dicționar Român

  • okapi — o ocapi sustantivo masculino 1. (macho y hembra) Okapia johnstoni. Mamífero rumiante africano, de pelaje marrón oscuro con rayas claras en cuello y muslos y blanquecino en cabeza y patas, que tiene una lengua extensible, y cuernos pequeños, si es …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • okàpi — m 〈G ja, N mn ji/okàpi〉 zool. kopitar (Okapia johnstoni) iz porodice žirafa, živi u Africi …   Veliki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika

  • okapi — okàpi m <G ja, N mn ji/okàpi> DEFINICIJA zool. kopitar (Okapia johnstoni) iz porodice žirafa, živi u Africi ETIMOLOGIJA egz …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • okapi — [ō kä′pē] n. pl. okapis or okapi [native Afr name] an African ruminant (Okapia johnstoni) in the same family (Giraffidae) as the giraffe, but having a much shorter neck …   English World dictionary

  • okapi — o*ka pi, n. [Native name on the borders of Belgian Congo, possibly the same word as Mpongwe okapo lean.] A peculiar mammal ({Okapia johnstoni}) closely related to the giraffe, discovered in the deep forests of Belgian Congo in 1900. It is smaller …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Okapi — Okāpi (Ocapĭa Johnstoni [Tafel: Afrikanische Tierwelt, 3]), ein zur Familie der Giraffen gehöriger Wiederkäuer, die Kennzeichen der Antilope (Kopf, Farbe des Vorderkörpers) und Giraffe (Gestalt und Zeichnung des Hinterteils) vereinigend, von… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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