Some may say that the mythological Unicorn is the epitome of ethereal beauty and grace, but I beg to differ. Such beauty can be found on Earth in the Okapi.
Looking like a mix between a giraffe and a zebra, this gentle creature is related only to the giraffe. Their necks are shorter, but they still have an impressively long prehensile bluish tongue used to pick tree leaves and wipe their eyes and ears.
Okapis tend to be solitary and shy animals needing large and secluded areas to live. Scent glands by their hooves secrete a tar-like substance to help mark their territories.
Other Okapi fun facts:
Their skin secretes oil that covers the fur to keep them dry in the rainforest.
Baby Okapi calves do not have a bowel movement until they are 1 - 2 months old to prevent alerting predators such as leopards with their scent.
Conservation Status: Endangered. The population has been estimated to have been reduced by 25% in the last decade.
Habitat: Mountain rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Threats: Habitat destruction, poaching, and war.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15188/0
http://www.funzoomiami.org/Animals/AllRegions/Mammals/Okapi
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