The okapi looks like a zebra from behind with its striped legs, but from the front, it resembles a short-necked giraffe. It is the only living relative of the giraffe and one of the most elusive large mammals on Earth, living deep in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For centuries, locals in the Ituri Forest spoke of a shy, deer-like animal they called the “African unicorn.” Western scientists doubted it existed until 1901, when it was finally confirmed as a new species. Even today, few people ever see one in the wild.