• The okapi and giraffe are relatives.Okapi - Secret Garden image by Daniel Mortell from Fotolia.com
  
  The African rain forest lies close to the equator, with most of this richly vegetated biome located in the western and central portions of the continent. The Public Broadcasting Service website notes that this ecosystem contains Africa’s most diverse assortment of animals. These species, some of them becoming increasingly rare in the wild, depend upon the rain forest for food as well as cover from their enemies.
  
  

Okapi

• The okapi is the sole relative of the giraffe still living, making its home deep in the African rain forest. The okapi combines the giraffe’s upright ears, prehensile tongue and head shape with the striped hindquarters and front legs of the zebra to form an odd-looking creature. Okapis can weigh as much as 770 lbs. and live for as long as 30 years if left undisturbed, notes the San Diego Zoo website. The okapi is such a shy and retiring type that biologists had no knowledge of its existence until 1900. The okapi eats leaves and twigs, using its striped portions to blend in with the backdrop of dappled light filtering into the rain forest from above.
  
  

Bushbuck

• The bushbuck is a hoofed mammal that has a brownish coat marked with stripes and spots. The bushbuck stands just 2 to 3.5 feet at the shoulder, and it can weigh anywhere from 55 to 175 lbs., according to the Ultimate ungulate website. Only male bushbucks have horns, which are straight and can grow to 22 inches in length. The bushbuck uses established trails through the rain forest and lives in the borders of clearings. The bushbuck can swim and jump and has an odd call that sounds like a barking dog. Bushbucks dine on grass and leaves, and are able to breed at any time. Bushbucks are usually active throughout the day and night.
  
  

Colobus Monkey

• The colobus monkey inhabits the rain forests of nations such as Kenya and Angola. The odd name comes from a Greek word that translates to “mutilated one” in reference to the primate’s lack of thumbs. They generally have black fur that contrasts with a white mantle, whiskers and beard, and a bushy white tail. A rare variety with red fur can be found in East Africa. The colobus monkey hardly ever comes down to the ground, using superior climbing and leaping skills to scurry through the tree canopy. The mammal has a diet composed almost entirely of vegetation, with leaves being its favorite food. The colobus monkey is an endangered species in the African rain forest, with its small population blamed on the hunting of the animal for its fur and loss of habitat to human development and logging.
  
  

Aardvark

• The aardvark, states the African Wildlife Foundation, can live in several habitats, the rain forest being one of them. All this mammal requires is a supply of termites, water and soft dirt to dig into. The aardvark can stand 2 feet tall at the shoulders and weigh in the range of 140 lbs. in the largest individuals. The aardvark is almost hairless, and the creature possesses an extended head, big ears and a tubular narrowed snout. The powerful claws on its front feet can tear up the rain forest floor in search of termites, allowing the aardvark to slurp the bugs up with its long sticky tongue. Aardvarks have poor eyesight and defend themselves by rolling into a ball and slashing out with their claws.