Wildlife
Giraffes and okapis are the only living members of the giraffidae family. Both have long, almost prehensile tongues which they use to grab vegetation, and small horns on their heads. Okapis are solitary, whilst giraffes live in herds.
The shading illustrates the diversity of this group - the darker the colour the greater the number of species. Data provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Giraffidae are ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a common ancestor with deer and bovids. This biological family, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, contains only two living members, the giraffe and the okapi. Both are confined to sub-Saharan Africa: the giraffe to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Congo. The two species look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including long, dark-coloured tongues, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called "ossicones".
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