One of the best rides at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Kilimanjaro Safaris. Guests ride on a big safari vehicle and get to see lots of African animals in their habitat. I love to take pictures of all the animals, but when I get home I often wish I knew the names of the animals in my pictures and maybe some facts about them. In Safari Stars, my new series, I will introduce you to 10 African animals found on Kilimanjaro Safaris. Along with a picture and their name I’ll give you 5 fun facts about each animal. Happiness Squared. Our first animal is the okapi.
The okapi is my favorite herbivore on the ride. They are shy animals, but I almost always see them. If you can’t see them on Kilimanjaro Safaris don’t worry. You can learn more about them on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. This is a good place to take pictures of them and there is often a Cast Member around to answer questions.
5 fun facts about okapi:
1) Okapi may have stripes, but they are the only living relative of the giraffe. If you look at their head you’ll notice the similarity.
2) Okapi live in the rain forest of central Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Those stripes are good camouflage.
3) The females are slightly taller than the males, but they weigh 50 to 100 pounds more.
4) Their flexible tongue is so long that they can clean their eyes with it along with removing leaves from trees and bushes.
5) A new member of the Animal Kingdom okapi family has made an appearance. To see a great picture of this young female okapi click on this Disney Blog Post.
What is your favorite animal on Kilimanjaro Safaris?
Goofy Tip: The best way to get great pictures of the animals on Kilimanjaro Safaris is to have lots of people taking pictures. That way if you miss getting a shot another person in your group might have gotten it. When your trip is over share your pictures with everyone in your group and keep the best pictures of each animal.
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