Okapi Skull BC-039
$400.00

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Though not discovered by modern man until 1901, the Okapi is essentially a short-necked forest giraffe surviving since the Pleistocene. The giraffe's only cousin, they can be found only in the tall dense primary forests of the remote Ituri Forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Okapis are solitary nocturnal animals socializing only for breeding. They are approximately 8 feet long with a shoulder height of 6 1/2 feet and weights from 400 to 600 pounds. Their coat ranges from a dark rich chestnut color on the body to broad contrasting black and white stripes on their rear legs. These stripes are thought to serve as a marker for the young to follow their mothers through the dense vegetation of their habitat. Male okapis have short skin-covered horns, called ossicones, while females do not. Like giraffes, they have long flexible blue-black tongues, which are highly prehensile and used for feeding and grooming. Male okapis have glands on the bottoms of their cloven hooves that produce a tar-like substance used to mark their territories. Okapis need only sleep for five to 10 minutes daily to remain alert for danger from leopards and poachers. Our BC male specimen was collected decades ago, and this is reflected in its meticulously reproduced patina.