Okapi

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) was found in 1887, in the jungles of the Democratic of Congo located in Africa. It is a very shy and secretive animal, making it hard to study. Okapis are around 6 to 7 feet tall, with females bigger than males, which is uncommon in the mammal world. Male okapi are generally smaller and have small giraffe like horns on their heads. 

The giraffe and the okapi are the only two species found in the Giraffidae family. Like giraffes, the okapi has a long purple tongue that it can use help it grab leaves and other food from high places. It's tongue is so long that it can wash it's ears with it! The okapi eats many plants, many that, scientist have discovered, are poisonous to humans.

  

It may seem like the okapi would stand out where ever it goes with it's zebra like legs, but the strips actually help it camouflage. In the jungle where it lives there are plenty of trees that cast shadows and sunlight beams through. The stripes on it's legs replicate this and break up the okapi's shape as it move through the jungle. This makes it hard for predators to focus on the okapi.

Of course, here is your own okapi to color!

Source: The Encyclopedia of Animals, 2006, Per Christiansen