The okapi is the rainforest mammal with distinctive zebra-like stripes on its legs and a native range in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its scientific name is Okapia johnstoni, and it is the only living member of its genus.
Okapis live mainly in the dense Ituri Forest, where their dark bodies blend into shade and their striped legs may break up their outline among vegetation. Despite their zebra-like markings, okapis are more closely related to giraffes than to zebras. Both species belong to the family Giraffidae.
The animal was unknown to Western science until the early twentieth century, although local peoples had long known it. Conservationists classify the okapi as endangered because forest loss, illegal mining, hunting, and armed conflict have reduced its secure habitat. Its range is almost entirely within the Democratic Republic of the Congo.