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The Okapi

This Science Minute was researched and written by Katherine P., of Ithaca, NY.

There is a strange and amazing creature that lives in central Africa, in the Congo River Basin and the Ituri Forest. It's called the okapi and it's a member of the giraffe family.

The okapi's tongue is so long that it can lick the corners of its eyes! That's a tasty way to clean out jungle bugs. Stranger still, the okapi's legs look like they were assembled from two different animals. The bottom part of each leg is a cream color while the top half has black and white rings.

Okapis are usually around 7 feet long and 5 feet tall, and weigh around 500 pounds. Male okapis have horns and are smaller than females.

Unfortunately, the okapis' habitat is being destroyed. It would be a shame if no one ever saw them.