What is the scientific name of the okapi, a rainforest mammal?

The scientific name of the okapi is Okapia johnstoni. Its genus name, Okapia, comes from Indigenous names for the animal, while johnstoni honors Sir Harry Johnston, the British official who helped obtain specimens for scientific study.

The okapi lives in the dense Ituri Forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although its hindquarters and legs have zebra-like stripes, it is not a zebra or a horse. Its closest living relative is the giraffe, and the two animals are the only surviving members of the family Giraffidae.

The species was initially described in 1901 as Equus johnstoni because early reports made it sound like a forest-dwelling horse. Later anatomical study showed that its skull and other features placed it with giraffes, leading scientists to establish the separate genus Okapia. The okapi is now classified as endangered, largely because of habitat loss, illegal mining, hunting, and logging.