Okapi

It's related to giraffes?!

The endanged okapi is indeed the only living relative of the giraffe. Like a giraffe, an okapi has very large, upright ears, which catch even slight sounds. An okapi also has a long, dark, prehensile tongue, like a giraffe’s, to help it strip the buds and young leaves from the understory brush of its rainforest home.

Fun Facts

- The ears of an okapi can rotate independently, so it can listen for sounds both in front and behind.

- The okapi's dark tongue is long enough to reach its eyes and ears.

- Okapi stripes are sometimes called "follow me" stripes, as the bold pattern makes it easy for a calf to follow its mother through the dark rainforest.

- Like the giraffe, the okapi must splay its legs to reach the ground when drinking.