Okapi

"The Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in central Africa. Although the Okapi bears striped markings reminiscent of the zebra, it is most closely related to the giraffe. There are approximately 10,000 - 20,000 in the wild and only 40 different worldwide institutions display them." Wikipedia.I first came across Okapis in the Endangered Species expansion pack to Zoo Tycoon 2 (a truly great game in its own right made even better my introducing the endangered species I love so much). Your zoo had to be pretty darn famous to even get the option of adopting one, and when you did, they were darn hard to breed since they seemed to be rather peculiar animals. I found the above image on Cute Overload this morning, and realized that though they are odd looking, they are simply adorable.
The feature that makes these animals so odd looking, is also the one that seems the most appealing when young. The stripes on their legs not only provide camouflage in their natural habitat but are also thought to assist young Okapis follow their mothers through the dense rain forest foliage. Another extremely interesting feature of the Okapi is its blue tongue. It is similar to the tongue of a giraffe in colour and the fact that it is quite long but the Okapi has the uncanny ability to clean its own ears inside and out, with its tongue. It is the only animal that has the ability to lick its own ears! Okapis are technically not endangered, but they are listed as threatened (Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species includes threatened species as well but that name isn't nearly as catchy) by habitat destruction and poaching.