Question 1

True or false: Okapis are aggressive predators that occasionally eat small birds.

Accepted Answer

False. Okapis are herbivores, eating leaves, fruits, and fungi. They have no predatory instincts and are shy, not aggressive.

Question 2

True or false: Okapis are native to the savannas of East Africa, where they graze alongside zebras.

Accepted Answer

False. Okapis live only in the dense rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, not on savannas. They are solitary and secretive.

Question 3

True or false: Okapis were unknown to Western science until the early 20th century.

Accepted Answer

True. The okapi was first described to the West in 1901 by Sir Harry Johnston, though local African peoples had known of it for centuries.

Question 4

True or false: Okapi has distinctive black-and-white stripes on its hindquarters that resemble zebra markings.

Accepted Answer

True. These stripes help camouflage the okapi in the dense rainforest, breaking up its outline.

Question 5

True or false: Okapi lives in open grasslands across eastern Africa.

Accepted Answer

False. Okapi is native only to the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, not open grasslands or savannas.

Question 6

True or false: Baby okapis are born without stripes and develop them within their first month.

Accepted Answer

False. Okapi calves are born with their stripes already visible. The pattern helps them camouflage and follow their mother.

Question 7

True or false: Okapi uses its long, flexible tongue to clean its own eyes and ears.

Accepted Answer

True. Okapi's tongue is up to 18 inches long and prehensile, allowing it to groom hard-to-reach areas including its eyes and ears.

Question 8

True or false: Okapi was not known to Western scientists until the year 1901.

Accepted Answer

True. Although known to local people, the okapi was first described to the Western world by Sir Harry Johnston in 1901.

Question 9

True or false: The okapi is more closely related to the giraffe than to the zebra, despite its stripes.

Accepted Answer

True. Okapis are the only living relatives of giraffes, sharing a common ancestor. Their zebra-like stripes help them blend into the dense rainforest.

Question 10

True or false: Okapi is a type of zebra that lives in African savannas.

Accepted Answer

False. Okapi is not a zebra; it belongs to the giraffe family. It lives in dense tropical rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, not savannas.

Question 11

True or false: Okapi has a neck that is as long as a giraffe's neck.

Accepted Answer

False. Okapi has a much shorter neck than a giraffe, though it still has a long tongue to reach leaves. It is not a miniature giraffe.

Question 12

True or false: Okapi is the only living relative of the giraffe.

Accepted Answer

True. Okapi and giraffe are the only two living members of the Giraffidae family. Okapi is not a zebra or antelope.

Question 13

True or false: Okapis communicate using infrasound, which is too low for humans to hear.

Accepted Answer

True. Okapis produce low-frequency infrasonic calls inaudible to humans, a fact documented by researchers like Elizabeth von Muggenthaler. This adaptation aids communication in dense forests, similar to giraffes.

Question 14

True or false: Okapis can use their tongues to clean their own eyes and ears.

Accepted Answer

True. An okapi's tongue is up to 18 inches long, long enough to reach and clean its eyes, ears, and even its nostrils.

Question 15

True or false: Okapi belongs to the antelope family along with gazelles and impalas.

Accepted Answer

False. Okapi is in the family Giraffidae, not Bovidae (antelopes). Its closest relatives are giraffes, not antelopes.

Question 16

True or false: An okapi's tongue is so long it can lick its own shoulder blades.

Accepted Answer

True. The okapi's prehensile tongue, reaching 12–18 inches, can indeed reach its shoulders to groom and strip leaves.

Okapi Trivia Questions