Two cam el-like wild species (the giraffe and the okapi)‎

Abstract EN

The giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis) and the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) are two wild ungulates that look and behave like camels in many aspects.

They tolerate to be off water for long periods.

The dentition of the giraffe is very close to that of the camel.

The dental formula of the latter being; 1/3: 1/1: 3/2: 3/3 while that of the former is 0/3: 0/0: 3/3: 3/3.

The giraffe makes use of its long prehensile tongue for browsing tree leaves, whereas the camel utilizes the structural modification of its upper lip for browsing tree tops.

The giraffe, however, differs from the camel by having two skin-covered horns in both sexes.

There is no gall bladder in the giraffe as it is the case with the camel.

The okapi is similar to the giraffe, except for the short neck of okapi and the presence of skin-covered horns in the male only.

The giraffe lives in open forests of low rainfall at sahara edges like the camel, but the okapi, on the other hand, is a dweller of thick rain forests in the Congo.

All the three species, camel, giraffe and okapi, are similar ruminants.

The giraffe is now disappearing from its natural habitats in Northern Sudan at an alarming rate.

It is recommended that rehabilitation and reintroduction of the giraffe into its natural ranges should receive prime consideration as most of the camelidae species are threatened by extinction.

Such animal species, being adapted to adverse and hard environmental conditions, can avail an important resource potential for gene banks, molecular biology and genetic engineering in the future.