Common name : Forest giraffe, Zebra giraffe
Scientific name : Okapia johnstoni
Family : Giraffidae
Native to : Ituri rainforest, Central Africa
Interesting fact : It was once referred to as the ‘African Unicorn’.
Conservation status : Endangered
Okapis have reddish dark backs, with striking horizontal white stripes on the front and back legs that give it an appearance of a zebra from a distance. Their body shape is similar to that of the giraffe, except okapis have much shorter necks. There are two species of okapis, and both have very long flexible tongues used to strip leaves and buds from trees.
