Editing Okapi (section)

==Description==
[[File:Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) 2009-04-04 04.jpg|upright|left|thumbnail|Male okapi displaying his striking horizontal stripes]]
The okapi is a medium-sized giraffid, standing {{convert|1.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} tall at the shoulder. Its average body length is about {{convert|2.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and its weight ranges from {{Convert|200|to|350|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Burnie">{{cite book|author1=Burnie|author2=Don E. Wilson|name-list-style=amp|title=Animal|date=2001|publisher=DK|location=New York|isbn=0789477645|edition=1st American}}</ref> It has a long neck, and large and flexible ears. In sharp contrast to the white horizontal stripes on the legs and white ankles, the okapi's coat is a chocolate to reddish brown.  The distinctive stripes resemble those of a zebra.<ref name=adw/> These features serve as an effective camouflage amidst dense vegetation. The face, throat, and chest are greyish white. [[Interdigital gland]]s are present on all four feet, and are slightly larger on the front feet.<ref name=bodmer>{{cite journal |last1=Bodmer |first1=R. E. |last2=Rabb |first2=G. B. |title=''Okapia johnstoni'' |journal=Mammalian Species |date=10 December 1992 |issue=422 |pages=1–8 |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-422-01-0001.pdf |doi=10.2307/3504153 |jstor=3504153 |s2cid=253915266 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122153/http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-422-01-0001.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |accessdate=17 April 2015 }}</ref> Male okapis have short, hair-covered horn-like structures called [[ossicone]]s, less than {{convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, which are similar in form and function to the ossicones of a [[giraffe]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Nasoori|first1=Alireza|date=2020|title=Formation, structure, and function of extra-skeletal bones in mammals|url=https://archive.org/details/formation-structure-and-function-of-extra-skeletal-bones-in-mammals|journal=Biological Reviews|volume=95|issue=4|pages=986–1019|doi=10.1111/brv.12597|pmid=32338826|s2cid=216556342}}</ref> The okapi exhibits [[sexual dimorphism]], with females {{convert|4.2|cm|in|abbr=on}} taller on average, slightly redder, and lacking prominent ossicones, instead possessing [[hair whorl]]s.<ref name=grzimek>{{cite book |last1=Grzimek |first1=B. |title=Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals (Volume 5) |date=1990 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Publishing Company |location=New York }}</ref><ref name=jstor>{{cite journal |last1=Solounias |first1=N. |title=Prevalence of ossicones in Giraffidae (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |date=November 1988 |volume=69 |issue=4 |pages=845–8 |doi=10.2307/1381645 |jstor=1381645}}</ref>

The okapi shows several adaptations to its tropical habitat. The large number of [[rod cell]]s in the retina facilitate [[night vision]], and an efficient [[olfactory system]] is present. The large [[auditory bullae]] of the temporal bone allow a strong sense of hearing. The [[dental formula]] of the okapi is {{DentalFormula|upper=0.0.3.3|lower=3.1.3.3}}.<ref name=bodmer/> Teeth are low-[[crown (dentistry)|crowned]] and finely [[cusp (anatomy)|cusped]], and efficiently cut tender foliage. The large [[Large intestine|cecum and colon]] help in microbial digestion, and a quick rate of food passage allows for lower cell wall digestion than in other [[ruminant]]s.<ref name=kingdon/>
[[File:Ybokp 7b (16224361745).jpg|thumb|upright|Head of a male okapi with damaged [[ossicone]]s]] 
The okapi is easily distinguished from its nearest extant relative, the giraffe. It is much smaller than the giraffe and shares more external similarities with [[Bovidae|bovids]] and [[Cervidae|cervids]]. Ossicones are present only in the male okapi, while both sexes of giraffe possess this feature. The okapi has large palatine sinuses (hollow cavities in the [[palate]]), unique among the giraffids. [[Morphology (biology)|Morphological]] features shared between the giraffe and the okapi include a similar gait – both use a [[horse gait#Pace|pacing]] gait, stepping simultaneously with the front and the hind leg on the same side of the body, unlike other [[ungulate]]s that walk by moving alternate legs on either side of the body<ref name=dagg>{{cite journal|last=Dagg|first=A. I.|author-link=Anne Innis Dagg|title=Gaits of the Giraffe and Okapi|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|date=May 1960|volume=41|issue=2|pages=282|doi=10.2307/1376381|jstor=1376381}}</ref> – and a long, black tongue (longer in the okapi) useful for plucking buds and leaves, as well as for grooming.<ref name=kingdon>{{cite book|last1=Kingdon|first1=Jonathan|title=Mammals of Africa.|date=2013|publisher=A. & C. Black|location=London|isbn=978-1-4081-2251-8|pages=95–115|edition=1st}}</ref>