The Okapi

To me a hero needs to be a wild animal like a giraffe. It has to be brave enough to not become extinct. The Okapi is that animal.

The Okapi is my hero because it lived with the ancient Egyptians. Then Europeans found it. Ancient Egyptians carved images of the animal in Egypt. When the Europeans then later called it the African Unicorn. The Okapi now only lives in the middle of Africa. The okapi is near threatened.

The Okapi has a dark back with horizontal white stripes on the front and back legs. From a distance it resembles a zebra. Its markings are thought to be a follow me sign so that the young won’t get lost in the dense rain forest.

The Okapis’ closest relative is the giraffe except it has a shorter neck. The Okapi has a long blue tongue. Its tongue is about 12 in. in length. They have long ears to help them hear if any predators are near.

Again my hero has to be able to live in the wild. Also it has to be a wild animal. And last it can’t be dead or extinct.