Little
Ages 3–5
Very thick lines and a few big areas. Easy for small hands.
Okapi Coloring Pages
An okapi looks like a mix of animals: it has a head like a giraffe, a body shaped a bit like a horse and bold stripes on its back legs like a zebra. It is a shy animal of the rainforest, and its stripes make lovely areas to fill in. Children aged 3 to 5 can begin with the little page, which has very thick outlines, a few big shapes and no background. The kids page, for ages 6 to 8, has thick lines and leafy plants, and the detailed page, for ages 9 to 12, adds finer lines and more rainforest to color.
Choose a level and print
The same drawing in three levels. Print it from the page or download a PDF.
Kids
Ages 6–8
Thick lines and a simple background to color.
Detailed
Ages 9–12
Finer lines, more areas and patterns for older children.
Color online
Choose a color, then tap an area of the picture to fill it. When you are happy, save it as an image or print it.
Coloring online needs JavaScript. You can still print the pages above.
Real colors to try
These are the natural colors of this animal. Use them, or pick your own.
- chocolate brown
- dark brown
- cream stripes
- pale face tan
- rainforest green
- leaf green
- flower red
Okapi facts for kids
- Okapis live in the rainforest of Central Africa.
- The okapi's closest relative is the giraffe, even though its legs have stripes like a zebra.
- An okapi has a very long tongue that it uses to pull leaves off branches.
- The white stripes on an okapi's back legs and rump help it hide in the shadows of the forest.
- Male okapis have two short horns on top of the head, covered in skin like a giraffe's.
How to use this coloring page
- Little level: chunky crayons suit the big shapes. Color the body a deep brown and the face a light tan.
- Kids level: leave the stripes white or cream and color the rest of the legs dark brown, so the stripes really stand out.
- Detailed level: use several greens for the leaves and bushes, from light to dark, to make the rainforest look deep and shady.
- In class, ask which animals the okapi looks like, then talk about how it is really a cousin of the giraffe.
- Print at 100% on plain paper. Slightly thicker paper helps if you use markers for the large brown areas.
Pip's idea
Make it a night in the rainforest: color the leaves in deep blues and greens, and keep the okapi's stripes bright white so they shine in the dark.
Questions and answers
- Is an okapi a kind of zebra?
- No. Even with its striped legs, the okapi is related to the giraffe. You can see it in the shape of its head and its two short horns covered in skin.
- Where does an okapi live?
- In the rainforest of Central Africa. It lives among tall trees and thick plants, which is why the pages show bushes and big leaves instead of open grassland.
- Which okapi page suits a four-year-old?
- The little level, for ages 3 to 5. It has very thick outlines, a few big shapes and no background, and the black stripes are already filled in, so the body and head are easy to color.
