The baby boom at the Dallas Zoo continues, thanks to a new okapi.
Almasi, or 鈥渄iamond鈥� in Swahili, was born Aug. 14 after a 14-month gestation. The zoo announced the news today. She weighed 47 pounds at birth, and is now up to 190 pounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3szFRgm9oE0
The okapi, pronounced oh-KOP-ee, is unique and mysterious. The zoo says the animal is so elusive that it鈥檚 been called the 鈥淎frican unicorn.鈥�
So, what鈥檚 an okapi? It鈥檚 kind of like a zebra, kind of like a giraffe. The okapi鈥檚 black-and-white striped legs and horselike bodies resemble a zebra, but it鈥檚 most closely related to giraffes. Like giraffes, their heads have large ears that give them keen hearing and their long tongues let them strip leaves and shoots from trees, the zoo says.
Almasi will debut in the okapi habitat for the first time on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For now, watch Almasi use her legs!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7IYJ54eCA&feature=youtu.be
When fully grown, she鈥檒l stand more than 5 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh more than 700 pounds.
The Dallas Zoo has a long history of caring for the okapi. Almasi becomes the 36th calf born at the zoo.
鈥淭hese animals have irresistible charm and behave unlike any other mammal,鈥� Megan Lumpkin, the Dallas Zoo鈥檚 lead keeper for the okapi, said in a news release. 鈥淭hey communicate using infrasound, a low-frequency sound undetectable to humans. It is critically important that they be protected.鈥�
Almasi is the second calf born to her mother, Desi. The zoo reports that Desi is being a good mommy to Almasi.
Did you know?:
- Okapi in the wild are found exclusively in the Ituri rain forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- They are difficult to see in the rain forest because of their camouflage.
- Because they鈥檙e very elusive and the Congo rain forest is so rugged, little is known about their behavior in the wild.
- Researchers have found that their numbers are declining rapidly due to destruction of their rain forest home, despite their popularity in the African country.
- Okapi are featured on the Congo鈥檚 1,000-franc note.
helped bring a record 915,000 visitors to the zoo during the past fiscal year. The births include a rare ocelot kitten, two new male gorillas, as well as cheetah cubs Winspear and Kamau, and their companion Labrador puppy, Amani.
Watch Winspear and Kamau in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3szFRgm9oE0
