answers and winners

ANSWERS

okapi - The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a mammal of the Ituri Rainforest in central Africa. Although it bears striped markings reminiscent of the zebra, it is most closely related to the giraffe. Native just to the Ituri forests situated in the north east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it was known only to the local people until 1901.



Okapis have dark backs, with striking horizontal white stripes on the front and back legs, making them resemble zebras from a distance. These markings are thought to help young follow their mothers through the dense rain forest; they also serve as camouflage.

The body shape is similar to that of the giraffe, except that okapis have much shorter necks. Both species have very long (approx. 30 cm or 12 inch), flexible, blue tongues that they use to strip leaves and buds from trees.

The tongue of an okapi is long enough for the animal to wash its eyelids and clean its ears: it is one of the few mammals that can lick its own ears. Male okapis have short, skin-covered horns called "ossicones". They have large ears, which help them detect their predator, the leopard.

Okapis are 1.9 to 2.5 m (8.1 ft) long and stand 1.5 to 2.0 m (6.5 ft) high at the shoulder. They have a 30 to 42 cm (12 to 17 in) long tail. Their weight ranges from 200 to 250 kg (465 to 550 lb).

Okapis are largely diurnal and essentially solitary, coming together only to breed.

Okapis forage along fixed, well-trodden paths through the forest. They live alone or in mother-offspring pairs. They have overlapping home ranges of several square kilometers and typically occur at densities of about 0.6 animals per square kilometer.


A young okapi calf with its mother at Brookfield Zoo, Illinois.


gramineous (grə min′ē əs) put the schwa e or upside down e in the boxes...sounds like a soft "uh"
- adj. of the grass family; of or like grass; grassy
Etymology: L gramineus < gramen, grass


My okapi chia pet is starting to look rather gramineous!


WINNERS


Silly Goose Award Winners are:


Linda
Okapi - that would be a pie indigenous to the State of Oklahoma!
Stephanie
And gratitude is always gramineous.

Smarty Pants Award Winner is


Diane:
I know what "okapi" is: It's a strange looking mammal, kind like a cross between a giraffe and an antelope or buffalo. It's a grazing animal, white stripes and just altogether funky looking. Doesn't fit in most of the the mammal categories.

Have I mentioned that I'm a science and biology nut?

OK, so there you have the winners. Thank you all for playing! It was very hard to choose this week cause you ALL crack me up!! No more science/biology/strange animals for Ms Smarty Pants!! I'll have to dig deeper into Webster next week!

As for the MIL situation. I greatly appreciate what each of you said thank you for your support and suggestions.

Shortly after I put up the show and tell post where God got me with the unexpected "Expect a Miracle"....I read Ellen's comment on the MIL issue. It was another zinger for me because if I'd read this post on one of YOUR blogs...this is what (almost word for word) I'd say to you.

"As far as your MIL goes... I'm going out on a limb here and I'm going to suggest you honor her in any way you can. I think in the long run you will be blessed for that and when she dies your conscience will be free..."

She won't spend the rest of her life fretting about whether or not my house was super clean when she got here.....but I will...however, I do have 3 kids uder the age of 4, so I will slowly make my way down the massive to-do list (Subvet saw the list and started doing stuff on it himself...a nice surprise for me!!) and I will do as much as I can without going nuts and skip the rest.

As always I am blessed by the care and support my blogging buddies give me.

THANK YOU!