The Okapi (Okapi johnstoni) is a mammal that inhabits the dense Ituri Rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the national symbol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the only known living relative to the giraffe. Unlike its ancestors of the savanna, the Okapi does not have long neck due to its adaptions of their environment. The Okapi’s coat consists of a dark brown to auburn color over body and zebra like stripes covering the fore and hind legs. Like the giraffe, the Okapi is strictly an herbivore. Over a hundred species of leaves off of native plants of the Ituri forest compose the diet of the Okapi. Until the 1900’s the Okapi, was unknown to the scientific community in result of the location of the Okapi’s habit …show more content…
Males’ territory range 8-12km while females’ range 3-5.5km with little overlapping (san). They have been seen to feed in the day and night, diurnal, but the concentrations of their feedings are in early mornings and late afternoons (san). The diet of Okapis consists of over a hundred species of plants and clay as a mineral (a-z). Males mark their territory with urine and rubbing their neck on brush and females defecate at defecation sites to mark territory. Okapis are non-aggressive, but have been seen heading butting and charging when competing for females (san). All ages and sexes play but is more frequent in young. The gestation period of the Okapi is 440 days (wwf). The litter size is commonly one with only one sighting of twins. The young spends the first six to nine weeks in a nest, which the females will check on various times throughout the day (the okapi). There is rapid growth rapid the first couple of months and will be weaned at six months, but may continue suck up to a year. Maturity is not reached until 3 years old and Okapis may live up to thirty (san). The only known predators of Okapis are leopards and human, in which they use their highly developed sense of smell and hearing to elude …show more content…
In 1952, the first breeding center for Okapis was established in Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1987, the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) was made to protect the habit in the Congo and with respect, in 1992, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve was established (san). The OCP is ran inside of the reserve. The Reserve is 5,290 square miles and contains the highest known density of Okapis in square mile (san). Two Pygmy tribes, the Mubuti and Efe, are also protected within the Reserve and are provided healthcare, education, and ability to work with the reserve. The Reserve works with government to prevent illegal activities like poaching, illegal mining, ivory trading, and illegal bush meat. With the technology of airplanes, Okapis have been raised in the U.S. and in Europe to establish breeding programs. The first Okapi born on North America soil was at the Brookfield zoo in
Elijah Anderson wrote an interesting book, The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life, which describes social settings and people interactions in different parts of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. This book was published on March 28, 2011 by W. W. Norton & Company. Anderson has observed these places in Philadelphia for over thirty years. He uses the observations he made and the stories that people shared with him during his endeavor to answer the following questions: “How do ordinary people in this diverse city interact across and along racial lines? When and how do racial identities figure out into these encounters? When and how do city dwellers set aside their own and other’s particular racial and ethnic identities to communicate
In his book “Cattle Brings Us to Our Enemies”, McCabe does a 16-year stint in East Africa, specifically in Northern Kenya, doing research on the Turkana. He does this through STEP, the South Turkana Ecosystem Project. In “Cattle Bring Us to Our Enemies”, McCabe follows four families through his years in Kenya and notes how they live in a very demanding environment. He uses ecological data to analyze how and why the Turkana people make decisions about their everyday life. McCabe focuses on four main areas of study: how the Turkana survive and adapt to a stressful environment by nomadic pastoralism, how the techniques used to extract resources and manage livestock modify the environment, the effects of the environmental and cultural practices have on
Lerner, E. and Lerner, B., 2008. Giraffes and okapi. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science 4
New technologies and advancement in the area of field research has allowed biologist and primatologist to analyze information more effectively and efficiently. Through the non-invasive collection of fecal samples, researchers are able to extract and analyze DNA to help determine individual attribute, as well as population dynamics. In addition to DNA, fecal samples also contain hormones and parasites that help in determining the overall health of the depositor (Newton-Fisher NE, 2010). Other technologies include the use of Geographic Information Systems allows for mapping the ranges of chimpanzees, and satellite imagery is used to view the deforestation of select areas (Goodall, 2002).
The animal I have chosen to study is the Japanese macaque, more commonly known as the Japanese snow monkey. Sir David Attenborough recently described the macaque as “one of the most successful and versatile of all primates”, commending its capacity to be “versatile, resilient, enterprising, tough and capable of surviving in extreme conditions”. This essay will continue by examining the Japanese macaque in a number of ways. Firstly, I will describe the physical characteristics of the animal, paying particular attention to the way in which their appearance has adapted to enable them to dominate in their habitat. Secondly, I will discuss the environment in which the macaques live in and the unique capabilities they maximise to develop a strategy ensuring longevity of the breed. Finally, I will consider the various competitors to survival that exist in the macaque’s environment.
... al., eds (2009) (PDF). Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2008–2010. Illustrated by S.D. Nash. Arlington, VA.: IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group (PSG), International Primatological Society (IPS), and Conservation International (CI). pp. 1–92. ISBN 978-1-934151-34-1.
- Bush meat utilization is a significant conservation, economic, and cultural issue in non-forested areas of eastern and southern Africa
The controversy over logging, and more specifically clearcutting, is not a new issue in America. Ever since the 1920's and 1930's, when this nation started to become conscious of conservation, citizens have weighed the consequences of logging. Critics have questioned whether the increase in jobs, tax dollars, and economic growth was worth the destruction of forest lands. Regardless of what they believe today, the logging industry had become so efficient that by the late 1980's nearly 100,000 acres of federal land had been clearcut since the industry began. Logging technology has advanced rapidly in terms of speed, to meet the increasing demands for lumber, paper, and other products derived from trees. This in turn has greatly impacted the environment by severely degrading watersheds, leading to increased soil erosion, the diminution in the quality of drinking water, and the decline of fish stocks, among many other consequences. In this essay I will examine the progression of logging equipment throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and discuss how these changes in technology have not only changed the relationship of those who work in the industry, but also haw this has changed the wider relationship of society and nature.
Giraffes are herbivores, which means they eat leaves and plants. They can reach leaves and
One of the species I chose to center my research paper on is the Tufted Capuchin Monkey. The Tufted Capuchin Monkey’s scientific name is the Cebus Apella Apella, yet they are also known as brown capuchin, black-capped capuchin, or even pin monkey. The Tufted Capuchin is most commonly found east of the Andes from Colombia and Venezuela to Paraguay and Northern Argentina. We find these unendangered monkeys to be living in rain forests, low montane forests, and semi-deciduous lowlands. Also, Capuchin Monkeys are found to have the widest range and broadest habitat tolerances of any other Cebus species.
Several kinds of baboons live in Africa and southwestern Arabia. These include the hamadryas baboon, which lives on plains and rocky hills of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and eastern Africa near the Red Sea, and the chacma baboon, which inhabits rocky regions and open woodlands in southern Africa. Olive baboons inhabit the Kekopey cattle ranch located near the town of Gilgil, Kenya. “The central part of the ranch consists of open grassland studded with occasional patches of bushy shrub, scattered thornbush, and small groves of giant fever trees” (Smuts 17). They eat a wide variety of foods including insects, flowers, leaves, fruits of bushes and herbs, and most significant of all, the grass itself. “Baboons eat the green blades of grass during the rainy seasons and dig for corms-the underground storage organ of sedge grasses-when the ranch is dry” (Smuts 17-18). They can carry food in pouches inside their cheeks.
The Disappearing Rainforests Conserving the rainforest is a global issue of great importance. Tropical rainforests provide a habitat for animals, a unique ecosystem for vegetation, and an abundance of resources for humans, yet they are being destroyed at an astonishing rate. Experts estimate that if these endangered territories continue to be consumed in this manner, no more will be standing in forty years (Rainforest). Examining the social, environmental, and economic costs of the continued destruction of the Earth's tropical rainforests will prove that deforestation for short-term profit is ultimately not viable.
Both sexes have two or four short, blunt, skin-covered horns. The coat has chestnut brown blotches against a brown background, markings that blend with the many different trees. As a giraffe ages, its color grows a darker brown. Each animal has a unique set of markings. Giraffes have keen sense of smell, seeing, and fantastic eyesight. A giraffe’s lifespan is up to twenty-six years in the wild and thirty-six years in captivity. Giraffes live on dry savannas and open woodland. They range south in the Sahara and in large numbers only in East Africa. Giraffes are herbivores, they eat mainly on leaves from acacia, mimosa, and wild apricot trees.
Great Apes are at the brink of extinction due to deforestation, hunting, and bushmeat trade. Our closest cousins are now viewed as economic commodities rather than valuable agents to the environment and humanity. In order to explore this issue, there must be an examinitation of why primate populations are dwindling, if these populations can replenish themselves, and what measures the international community is taking to alleviate the problem. Bushmeat is a popular source of animal protein in West and Central Africa. With population rates on the rise, demand for bushmeat is projected to double in two decades.
Giraffes are herbivorous creatures that usually inhabit environments such as grasslands, Savannas and woodlands that are less dense. Some are also found in desert environments like the Angolan giraffe. Giraffes prefer a few number of trees to feed from, an example of their most prefer trees is the genera Acacia, Commiphora and Terminallia. Other food sources are fruits and shrubs that giraffes can find while searching for food. A giraffe can eat up to 34 kilograms of food daily. Although it’s an herbivorous creature, giraffes have been seen licking dried meat off bones if passing by a carcass.