Okapi

The okapi is a large mammal native to the dense rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the closest living relative of the giraffe despite its zebra-like striped hindquarters and legs, a pattern that helps camouflage it in the dappled light of the forest understory. It has a long neck, though far shorter than a giraffe's, dark reddish-brown body fur, and an extremely long, dexterous tongue used to strip leaves and buds from vegetation, reaching even its own ears while grooming. Okapis are shy, solitary and elusive, and the species was unknown to Western science until the early twentieth century despite long being known to local peoples. Habitat loss from logging and mining, along with poaching and civil conflict in its limited range, have led to its classification as endangered.