Happy World Okapi Day! Did you know? Okapi calves go through a long nesting phase of development during which they spend the majority of their time resting and hiding rather than being up and active with their moms. Okapi calf, Dini Darweshi, is just starting to come out of that phase of his life and has been exploring one of our outdoor habitat yards in the Zoo’s Congo Expedition region on warm days, providing guests with the opportunity to see him. He still nurses several times each day, but i

Baby okapi explores new enclosure in Texas zoo

With a tongue that can extend up to 18 inches (45 cm), the okapi uses this remarkable adaptation to skillfully strip leaves, buds, and fruit from the understory trees of the Congo Basin. Their diet, rich in over 100 plant species, helps shape the forest’s biodiversity—an unsung but vital ecological role. Often mistaken as relatives of zebras due to their stripes, okapis are actually the only living relative of the giraffe. Yet unlike their towering cousins, these secretive animals are found sole